Turok: Skræling Warrior
by Native Avenger
Summary: Long before the Spanish set foot in North America, the Vikings explored the unexplored continent. Within this new land, a man of Native American and Scandinavian decent is taken from his native home and to a world full of magic, advanced technology, and war. Watch as Siômo, the Native American Viking, explores the Lost Lands.
1. The New World

**Kwai kwai nidobak! For those of you who don't know, that is Abenaki Native American for "Hello, friends!" This is my first FanFiciton that isn't a Spyro story, but I'm excited because I've been wanting to write this story for a few months now. We won't be getting into the mystical stuff right away, but we'll get there soon, I promise. I hope you all like this story and remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 1: The New World

_`Northern Atlantic Ocean – year: 1003 C.E._

It was a cold yet sunny day in the Atlantic Ocean. The waters were calm and still while the winds blew steadily. Out in the middle of the ocean, was a ship. This ship was a Norse longship that had an active crew. All the men aboard were attending to their duties that ranged from rowing the oars to manning the sails. There was one man that stood out from the rest who was rowing the boat.

This muscular man was rather tall with hairy, pale skin. He possessed dark brown hair that reached his shoulders and it was fairly wavy. He also sported a beard that was about a foot in length. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt made of black cloth with gray chainmail armor over it. Light brown furred pans were covering his legs and he wore heavy leather boots that were also brown. Lastly, he wore a gray wolf furred cloak over his shoulders and back. He was also carrying a sheathed Viking sword made out of iron.

The armored Norseman looked around as he and his fellow sailors rowed their longboat. He seemed to be searching for something and made sure that the ship was sailing where the seagulls were flying.

"Thorgeir, we've been sailing for over a month now. When are we gonna find this 'New World' you spoke of?" one of the sailors questioned impatiently.

"Patience, Almod. We'll get there soon." Thorgeir assured calmly, obviously not wanting to hear complaining.

Almod was the tallest man amongst the group and he had muscular, pale skin. This man's hair was dirty blonde and wavy. Both his beard and hair reached his shoulders as well. He was wearing a vest made out of chainmail and black pants. His boots were dark brown and he had shoulder pads made from a bear's hide. He also donned gauntlets made out of bear fur. Lastly, a morning star was strapped to his belt and a kite shield was resting on his back.

The man who spoke, now known as Almod, stayed quiet after that. They were all in irritable moods because they've been sailing almost nonstop and many of them thought that the place they were trying to find didn't exist at all.

"I heard that Leif Ericson himself discovered the New World." one of the sailors commented after a long moment of silence.

"I think he and his crew were just lying to get attention. 'Fighting dark skinned warriors' indeed!" another sailor replied skeptically with a scoff.

"Would you both just shut up!? Look!" a third sailor yelled with wide eyes as he pointed towards the direction they were sailing.

All of the Norse sailors looked in the direction he was pointing and they squinted their eyes to see what looked like land in the distance. The land had various trees and a beach, making the men want to work harder to get on dry land.

After what seemed like forever, the Norsemen reached the sandy beach and they sailed the ship right onto the beach. The men got off of the boat and looked at their new surroundings with interest.

The beach's sand was still wet from the ocean tide and the trees. The leaves were various different colors because it was autumn and some of them had already fallen to the ground. Geese could be heard above them and they all looked up to see the birds fly in a V formation towards the south.

"I love the sea, but it's nice to be on land again.' a man with a blonde beard commented and the others nodded in agreement.

"We'd best head inland and make a shelter." the tallest man suggested as his blue eyes scanned the new environment.

"I agree. Good idea, Almod." Thorgeir replied with a smile behind his thick beard.

The group of Norsemen walked together into the forest so they could get a better idea of what the land was like, but they almost immediately heard twigs snap in the foliage.

"What was that noise?" one of the men asked quietly as he unsheathed his war hammer.

"Shh!" Thorgeir hushed as he slowly looked around the area they were in and the rest of his men took out their various weapons.

Everything was silent for a long while and nothing happened. Something happened however that none of them expected.

A lone woman stepped out of the bushes and towards the surprised men. Her skin was darker than theirs and her brown eyes looked black as night from a distance. She possessed long, dark brown hair that reached her lower back and some hair on the right side of her face was braided. A black rawhide headband was tied around her head so that her straight hair would stay out of her eyes. Her slender body was covered with a deerskin dress that went down to her ankles. Bone beads were attached to one another to form at least four necklaces around her neck. Her facial structure was also different that what they were used to. Her cheekbones could easily be seen, her nose was flatter than those that they usually saw in Europe, and her eyes were slightly almond shaped.

"Who are you?" Almod questioned with wide eyes as they all stared at the tan skinned woman.

"Gagwi gedidam? (What did you say?)" the woman questioned with a very confused expression.

The Norsemen became confused as well and looked at one another.

"Do any of you know what language she's speaking in?" one of the sailors asked his fellow Vikings, but they all just shook their heads, no.

"Hmm… I recall Leif Ericson and his crew talking about a group of people living in this New World. He didn't say too much about them, but he called them… Skrælings I think it was." Thorgeir remembered with a snap of his fingers.

"I remember him saying that too, but he was farther north than us. Do you think these are the same people he encountered?" Almod questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Does it matter? We can put a name to this woman and anyone else we may encounter." a red-headed Viking replied, making a good point.

Deciding not to argue, they all agreed that they would name this woman and any person they encountered Skrælings. They turned back to the woman, but were greatly surprised when they saw half a dozen native men behind her. All the men were armed with bows and tomahawks, yet none of them made any hostile movements. The Norsemen assumed that these people were hunting when they arrived not too long ago.

"Did any of you hear them coming?" one of the Vikings whispered awkwardly as they looked at all the natives, who were observing their every moment.

The natives were wearing various animal furs and most of them had feathers in their hair. Not only that, but all of them possessed long, dark hair and dark skin. The Norsemen had to admit, they were impressed by the natives' weapons and battle ready stances.

Deciding to take a chance, Thorgeir calmly stepped forward and he made sure to keep his hands away from his sheathed Viking sword.

"We… do not wish to fight you. We… wish to… trade." the Viking said slowly as he made hand movements with his hands to emphasize what he was saying.

The natives seemed to at least partially understand what he was saying and they lowered their bows and tomahawks. The Skræling woman stepped towards the muscular light-skinned man and looked up a little because he was slightly taller than her.

"Awani gia? (Who are you?)" she spoke with a questioning expression as she pointed at the Norseman.

It took a moment for him to understand what she meant and he replied after a few seconds of awkward of silence.

"Thorgeir." the Viking answered finally with a slight nod.

"Kizokw." the Skræling woman introduced herself with a small smile, making the bearded man smile as well.

One of the natives walked forward all of a sudden and whispered something in the woman's ear. She nodded in understanding and the tan skinned man backed away.

"N' dlossa 'wigwômnok. (I am going home.)" Kizokw told the Vikings as she motioned behind her. "Adio, wli nanawalmezi. (Goodbye, take care of yourself.)" she said as she looked at Thorgeir.

The Norsemen watched as the Skrælings walked off and into the forests without another word before looking at each other. They didn't expect to come across people like them, especially without a fight.

"Well, that was interesting." Almod commented, earning a few chuckles from the group.

"Alright, alright, let's set up a camp near the ship." Thorgeir told them as he turned around to face his fellow Europeans.

The heavily armed men nodded in understanding and they walked back to the beach were their ship was. Something told them that they would see the Skrælings again before they leave.

* * *

Six weeks have passed since the Norsemen first arrived in the New World. They have built a sturdy camp just off of the beach and next to the forest border. Their settlement was surrounded by a wooden fence and they have made small houses made out of logs and wood. A bunch of trees around the area have been cut down so this temporary settlement could be built, but they made sure to leave a few around as a sign of respect to the people of this land.

The Norsemen haven't seen the Skrælings since they first arrived in this new land. It had gotten even colder over the past few weeks and almost all of the leaves had fallen off of the trees at this point.

Thorgeir was currently outside of his home within the camp and he was sharpening his Viking sword on a stone wheel. He was so focused on his task that he just barely noticed his friend, Almod, walk up to him.

"Those Skrælings are back. That woman spoke your name." the tall European informed, catching his friend's attention.

"Were they hostile?" Thorgeir questioned as he stood up and slid his sword into the sheath on his belt.

"They're armed, but that's expected. No, they seemed pretty benign." Almod answered as they both walked away from the temporary house and towards their settlement's gates.

When they reached the gates, they were able to see four of the natives, including Kizokw, standing in wait for them. The two Norsemen glanced at one another before Thorgeir walked right up to them, gaining the native's attention.

"Greetings." the European spoke with a slight nod.

"Kwai kwai nidoba. (Hello, friend.)" the Skræling woman replied with a small nod as well. "Ndaii passojiwi. Kwigi bra apïô spiwi nia? (I live nearby. Would you like to come with me?)" she asked as she imitated walking with two of her fingers.

It took a minute for the Viking to understand what she was saying, but he assumed that she wanted him to follow them. He nodded in agreement to this and the natives smiled. It was at this point that Almod stepped forward.

"I'm going with you." the tall man spoke with a straight face, gaining the native's attention.

"Awani agema? (Who is he?)" Kizokw questioned with a raised eyebrow as she pointed at him.

"Almod." Thorgeir introduced as he motioned towards his friend, who nodded awkwardly.

The Skrælings nodded as a greeting before they turned around and walked into the forest. The two Europeans looked at one another before they followed the natives into their territory. The group traveled on an animal trail that the natives used for awhile without anything eventful happening. They soon came across a river and walked on a trail next to it. Soon after that, they came to a clearing in the forest and there is where the Skrælings' village stood.

All the buildings in the settlement were long houses made out of wood and they had rounded roofs. All the natives were also performing various tasks. Some men were staying by the river and were spearing fish while some woman were harvesting the last of the corn or making clay pots. The children were happily playing near their mothers and a small group of hunters could be seen coming into the village with some game. Everyone was busy doing something.

The two Vikings looked at the village with wonder in their eyes. Out of all the places they have traveled to throughout their lives, they've never encountered people like this before.

"Abenaki." Kizokw stated with a proud smile.

"Huh? Is that what your people are called?" Almod questioned as he motioned towards the village.

"Abenaki…. 'people.'" she spoke with a slightly questionable tone of voice, hoping that she was using their word correctly.

"Abenaki people. That's an interesting name; I'll have to remember that." Thorgeir commented with a slight nod.

Their native guides smiled at his approval and they walked into the village together. They led the two Europeans over to a single native man and they nodded in respect.

This man possessed the same tan skin and dark eyes like the others, but it could be seen that he was much older than the Norsemen's current guides. He only had a small patch of hair on the back of his head, but that small patch was long enough to reach his shoulders and it was tied into a ponytail. He was wearing some robes made from deer leather and a black bear's pelt was being worn as a cloak over it. He wore a bone bead choker on his neck and breast plate armor over his chest that was also made out of bone beads. He was also wearing a feathered headdress on the back of his head, but it was even thinner than his head and was just as long as his hair. Lastly, there was a black line painted across the mid-section of his face.

"Kwai kwai, Sougmou. Tôni kdôlôwzi? (Hello Chief. How are you?)" Kizokw greeted respectfully, making the old man smile warmly.

"N' wôwlôzi, ni kia? (I'm fine, and you?)" Sougmou replied as he lightly clapped his hands together.

"Wli gen. (Good.)" the Skræling woman replied with a chuckle.

'I wish I could understand what they were saying.' Thorgeir thought to himself as he and Almod awkwardly stood behind the woman.

"Tôni odosaan? (Where did you go?)" the chief of the tribe questioned when he noticed the two Vikings standing behind her.

"Nôdossa kpiwiw ni... (I went into the woods and…)" Kizokw began to explain, but her voice trailed off as she stepped aside so that her leader could get a good look at their guests.

Sougmou stepped towards the bearded men and looked at them closely. At first, it looked like he didn't trust them, but he soon smiled and nodded as a greeting.

"I'm guessing he's the leader of these people." Thorgeir told Almod before they looked at the chief again.

"Heil ok sæll." the two Vikings greeted in their own language and the nodded back.

The old man didn't know what they said exactly, but he guessed that they had just greeted him in a respectful way. His smile widened as he thought of the possibilities his people befriending the Europeans.

"Wikwalapôda wdamôgan. (Let's take a puff on the pipe.)" Sougmou suggested as he reached into his leather robes and pulled out a peace pipe.

The pipe was a little less than a foot long and was made out of carved out wood. The hollow object had leather wrapped around the ends of it and a hawk feather was tied to the center of it.

Thorgeir and Almod watched with great interest as the Abenaki elder held out the pipe and another native used some flint to light whatever was inside it. He nodded in thanks to the native who lit it before he placed the other end of the pipe in his mouth and breathed in.

"What is he doing?" Almod whispered to his friend and they watched this act that they've never seen before.

"I don't know." Thorgeir replied quietly with just as much interest.

Sougmou slowly took the pipe out of his mouth and calmly exhaled through his mouth, letting out a cloud of light gray smoke. He then handed the pike over to Thorgeir.

"He's offering us friendship." the green eyed Norseman realized as he gently held the peace pipe the same way that Sougmou did.

"Friendship? Well, that's different than how people usually treat us when they see us." Almod commented with a soft laugh.

Thorgeir chuckled as well before he did as the chief did a few moments ago and breathed in the tobacco smoke. He went into a small coughing fit from the unexpected taste and smell, but Kizokw quickly stepped forward and pat him on the back to clear his lungs. He nodded in thanks once his coughing ceased and he handed the spiritual pipe to his tall friend.

Almod was a little hesitant at first, considering his friend's reaction to the strange smoke, but with some encouraging hand motions from Sougmou, he placed the smoking end of the pipe into his mouth and breathed in. Like Thorgeir, he began to cough as well as the smoke and tar entered his lungs.

Kizokw walked over to him and pat him on the back as well. She and the chief must've been expecting these reactions. She then took the pipe away from the tall Viking once he calmed down and she placed it into her mouth.

'I hope that thing is only used for special occasions. That tasted horrible.' Thorgeir thought to himself as he watched the Skræling woman breath in the burning herbs.

Once she finished inhaling the tobacco smoke, she gave the pipe to Sougmou. He nodded in thanks before he took another drag from the pipe. He exhaled the smoke out of his nose and looked at the two Norsemen.

"Nidobak! (Friends!)" the chief announced with a smile and the natives of the village cheered happily, overjoyed that their new allies came for peace and not war.

"It seems that Odin and his followers have some new allies." Almod whispered to Thorgeir with a chuckle.

"So it seems." the Norseman replied with a small smile behind his beard.

Thorgeir looked at each Skræling of the tribe, but his eyes stopped when he saw Kizokw. He has seen many beautiful women in his time, but she was the most beautiful by far. Her tan skin complimented her dark eyes and hair, and her long hair looked ever so elegant on her body.

The bearded Viking shook those thoughts away when he began to daydream and he quickly looked away from her so she wouldn't notice him staring. He couldn't allow himself to get distracted by a pretty face. He came to the New World to explore and trade with the locals.

Something told Thorgeir that he'd be staying there for a long time and that Kizokw would prove to play a bigger part in his life later. For right now however, he wished to enjoy the warm welcome from the Skrælings.


	2. New Surprises and Tensions

**Kwai kwai everyone! Here's the second chapter of this new story. As you might've guessed, the main protagonist from the description isn't in the story yet. Don't worry, he'll show up later on in the story, but not now. The same applies to the Turok related stuff. Also, if you're unfamiliar with the Turok universe and just decided to read this story, don't' worry, I'll make sure to explain everything within the writing as this story goes. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 2: New Surprises and Tensions

About three weeks have passed since the welcoming ceremony that the Skrælings held in their village. The other Vikings were informed of the natives' peacefulness and were told not to attack them.

Thorgeir had taken the liberty of visiting the village every day to visit Kizokw, which made her happy every time. He had attempted to learn her peoples' language, but it proved to be much too difficult for him. Sure he was able to learn a few basic words, but the nasal sounding language was just too hard for him to learn.

Fortunately, Kizokw found it easier to learn different languages because she had to learn to speak the languages of the surrounding tribes, so it didn't take her long to learn the basics of the Vikings' language. She still had to translate the words in her head, but she could have simple conversations with the Norsemen.

This made her a very important individual within the tribe. Since she could speak the Viking language the best in her tribe, she was the one who would travel to the Viking camp and make the trades.

As time passed however, Thorgeir and Kizokw grew closer and closer together. The natives saw it as a pleasant friendship, but the Europeans playfully teased Thorgeir about him loving her. It was all in good nature however and the jokers were ignored. He couldn't help, but admit that she was beautiful however.

One day at the shore with the Viking boat still beached, Thorgeir stood by the water and was looking out at the ocean. He's traveled to many places throughout his life and fought in many battles, but he never thought he'd ever find a place with such peaceful people. His initial plan was to fight and conquer anyone he came across during this trip, but now his men and the Skrælings were peacefully trading with one another. Not only that, but he could never stop thinking about that woman in the forest.

The Norseman's train of thought was broken by the sound of soft footsteps approaching him and he turned to his right to see none other than Kizokw walking over to him. She had a smile on her face, yet she seemed a little nervous for some reason. She stopped walking once she was right next to him and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Kwai kwai. (Hello.)" Thorgeir greeted in her own language, able to pick up the simple words.

"Kwai kwai, Thorgeir. I wished to talk with you." Kizokw said slowly, mentally making sure that she was using the right words.

Thorgeir liked hearing her talk. She spoke in such a strong voice, even while she wasn't speaking in her own language. He couldn't deny it to himself that he had at least some feelings for her, but he had no idea how to tell her; especially when he was planning on leaving next year.

"What do you want to talk about?" he questioned as he turned so they were fully facing one another.

The Abenaki woman opened her mouth to quickly reply, but she stopped and placed a finger on her chin. She wanted to ask him something important, but she had no idea how to word it.

"Thorgeir… do you have a woman… back where your people come from?" she asked in the best way that she could.

"What? A wife? No… at least not yet." the Norseman replied vaguely as he turned his head away.

He didn't see it, but her face brightened up a bit before returning to its smiling nervousness. She took another step closer to him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, making him look at her once more.

"We have known each other for a long while now… and I've seen you staring at me when no one was watching. I must ask you this… do you possess feelings towards me?" Kizokw questioned with a serious yet questionable tone of voice.

The Norseman's eyes widened from her outright statement and question. He wasn't expecting her to bring something like that up, but he knew that he had to answer honestly at that moment, without any preparation.

"Kizokw, I… I cannot lie to you. I have fallen for you since I first layed eyes on you when I first arrived here." Thorgeir revealed as his lower lip quivered slightly, worrying about how she would react to this.

The Abenaki woman simply smiled at this and gently pulled him into a hug, greatly surprising him. He wrapped his muscular arms around her however and he felt her hand soothingly rub his upper back.

"Nia k'gezalmel gia. (I love you.)" Kizokw spoke in her native language before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Thorgeir blushed behind his beard from the contact, but he quickly kissed back and his eyes drooped to a close. They parted after a few moments to get some air and they panted slightly, looking into each other's eyes.

"We need to tell the others about this." the Skræling woman realized as they parted from the hug and she held his hand.

"Tell the others? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Thorgeir questioned with a nervous expression.

"Yes. It is important to tell the rest of the tribe when two people fall in love with one another… at least in my culture." she explained as she looked up at him with her dark brown eyes. "Why? Is there a problem?" she asked with slight hurt in her voice.

"No, there's no problem; it's just… my people aren't exactly as open as yours are. We tend to keep to ourselves when it comes to personal things." the Viking told her, not wanting to upset her.

Kizokw didn't understand this mentality, but she nodded in understanding. She had no idea why someone would want to keep love a secret, but she refused to lie to her people.

"At least allow me to tell my people. They have the right to know." the Skræling woman said softly, yet sternly.

Thorgeir sighed heavily, but nodded in agreement. It would be a stretch, but he decided to respect her customs and do as she wished. She smiled at him and they began to walk together into the forest.

Unknown to the both of them, Almod was standing behind a thick tree. He had witnessed the whole thing and a heavy frown could be seen on his face. It was obvious that he wasn't' happy with what he just witnessed.

'We came to this land to explore and conquer, not to bed the women here. I need to speak to Thorgeir sometime about this.' the tall man thought to himself as his eyes narrowed and he walked back to the Viking settlement.

* * *

Six days have passed since Thorgeir and Kizokw admitted their love towards one another and they were currently sitting by a fire pit; they were both in the Abenaki village. Sougmou and the rest of the elders have allowed him to stay in their village once they were told of the two people's new relationship.

Thorgeir was greatly yet pleasantly surprised when they allowed him in their home. He wanted nothing more than to be with the woman he loved and learn more about the natives' culture. He still had trouble speaking their language, but Kizokw was an excellent translator.

While the two lovers were sitting by the fire and everyone else attended to their usual duties, the Norsemen approached the village with Almod leading them. The natives and lone Viking looked up at the arrivals and Sougmou approached them. For some reason, everyone was tense.

"Kwai kwai. Doni gedowiozin? (Hello. How are you?)" the chief greeted with a kind smile, wanting to ease the tension.

"I wish to speak with Thorgeir." Almod stated seriously as he pointed at his friend.

Sougmou frowned at this and looked over his shoulder at his European guest before he motioned him over. Thorgeir looked at Kizokw with a reassuring expression before he stood up and walked over to the group of Vikings.

"Yes, Almod? What is it?" he questioned casually with his hands resting behind his back.

"Thorgeir, why have you not come back to our camp? You're supposed to be leading us." the tall Norseman scolded with a frustrated frown behind his dirty blonde beard.

"Look, I-" Thorgeir started.

"And why have you kissed Kizokw at the beach?" Almod interrupted with just as much venom in his voice.

The other bearded man sighed heavily before he gently grabbed his tall friend's arm and led him away from everyone. Once they were out of earshot, Almod pulled his arm free.

"Okay, we're alone. Explain." he stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I have fallen in love with Kizokw since I first met her, that's the main reason why I haven't ordered our men to attack her people. I've grown to care about them and I know that others of our group do as well." Thorgeir explained as he slowly sat down on a tree stump.

"…I understand those things, I suppose, but you still need to lead your own people. Why have you spent all your time with this one woman? Why get attached when we are going to leave by the end of winter?" Almod demanded to know.

"BECAUSE! …because she is sick and we don't know what's wrong with her yet." the dark haired Viking answered angrily at first, but quickly calmed down and looked sad.

Almod's stern expression softened from this new news and he gently rested his muscular hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Odin's breathe… I'm sorry. I had no idea. What are her symptoms?" the tall man asked with a look of concern.

"She's been getting tired easily and she has also been vomiting. The witch doctors told us that they have a good idea what's wrong with her, but they want to be absolutely sure what it is before they tell us." Thorgeir explained with a heavy sigh at the end.

His friend frowned at this and looked over at the village. Many of the Vikings looked at the Skrælings with mistrust in their eyes, but others peacefully got along with the natives. It seemed that the Norsemen became more and more split with each passing day and he didn't like it.

"Troubled times are ahead, Thorgeir. We need to leave this place and these people once its spring. I wish for Kizokw to get well, but these people aren't our people. They don't share our beliefs, our customs. The best thing to do is to leave them in peace." Almod stated without looking at his close friend before he walked away.

Thorgeir kept his head down as he stood up on his feet. He knew that his friend's words were true, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave this New World. He didn't want to leave the woman he loved however, but there was no chance that he'd be able to stay.

He shook those thoughts from his mind and walked over to Kizokw, who was talking to the tribe witch-doctor. The doctor began to walk away while Thorgeir walked over to them and the native woman looked over at her lover with a bright smile.

"Thorgeir, I have just received great news! I am pregnant!" the Skræling woman announced excitedly as she hugged him closely.

"Pregnant!" the Norseman exclaimed with wide eyes, catching everyone's attention.

He felt tears of joy come to his green eyes and he hugged her back, making everyone smile. It was as if all the tension and negative thoughts from earlier had just washed away. Both the natives and the Vikings smiled at the soon-to-be parents and a European with a red, braided beard started crying from the intense emotion and happiness in the air.

The Skræling musicians started playing their drums and flutes to celebrate this once in a lifetime occasion. Everyone figured that their child would be the first person ever to be both Scandinavian and Skræling.

Thorgeir didn't even think about what Almod just told him, he was just happy that he was going to be a father. All he needed was for his lover and their people's support.

* * *

It was now snowing in the New World and the land was covered in a blanket of white, crystalline snow. Both the Norseman and the Skrælings more clothes to combat the cold and freezing winds.

Four months have gone by since it was revealed that Kizokw was pregnant and most of the Vikings were okay with having their leader stay with the natives and his pregnant lover. A marriage ceremony was held soon after she got pregnant and the ceremony was hosted by the Vikings. Everyone attended and even Almod attended, putting aside his negative feelings.

But that was months ago, Thorgeir and Kizokw were sitting next to one another within a Skræling longhouse and enjoying each other's company. Her stomach had gotten larger and more rounded with time and she found it more difficult to move around as time passed. They often discussed Thorgeir and the Vikings need to leave once it was spring and she didn't like it one bit.

"I do not understand it. Why must you leave when we have a child on the way?" the native woman questioned with sadness in her voice and she looked into his green orbs with her brown ones.

"This conversation again?" Thorgeir asked with a heavy sigh. "I've told you this before, me and my people need to go back to Europe and make sure our fellow Norseman won't attack your people. I have your best interests at heart." he explained to her as he held her closely in a hug.

"That does not make it any easier… if you leave by spring, then you will not see the baby being born." she replied with a sad expression.

"I know… I hate that I won't see it, but I promise you that I WILL return. Besides, at least he won't have to bare my morning breath." Thorgeir said to try to make her feel better.

His comment worked and she giggled softly and mumbled something in her native tongue. They sat there in silence before she spoke up again.

"Do you have any ideas for a name?" Kizokw questioned curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"I have an idea if it's a girl, yes. Áfríðr." the Viking told her as they released each other from the hug and simply sat next to each other.

"That's a pretty name." his wife commented with a smile.

"Do you have any names if it's a boy?" Thorgeir was next to ask.

"Hmm… how about… Siômo. It means 'Hawk' in Abenaki." she suggested after some thought.

"Siômo… hawk. I like it." the bearded man commented with a smile before he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, making her giggle.

"Your face-hair tickles." she commented with a big smile.

Thorgeir simply chuckled at this and looked up at the wooden building's ceiling. He still had a lot on his mind and he was upset that he had to leave, but he knew for a fact that he would return and meet his son one day; that he was sure of. It didn't make him feel any better that winter was going to end in a month however.

It seemed like time was going by too quickly. His fellow Vikings have already began to get ready to leave and Almod constantly pestered him about returning to the European seas.

"Now probably is not the best time to mention it, but my people have been telling me that some of your men have been glaring at me and my people; as if they don't trust us. Not all of your people are like that, but my people are afraid that Almod or some of the others are going to try something… unfavorable." Kizokw informed hesitantly with a frown.

"They won't try anything, I promise" Thorgeir stated seriously as he slowly turned his head to look at her in the eyes. "Because if they do anything to hurt you or your people, then I'll kill them myself." he promised with eyes as hard as steel.

The native woman didn't like resorting to violence, but she appreciated his protective instincts towards her and her tribe. She silently nodded to his words and hugged the muscular man again.

The Viking's tensed muscles immediately relaxed from the contact and he gently hugged her back, happy to have some positive affection from the woman he loved. They stayed like that for what felt like forever before they finally released one another. They were still silent and they just looked into each other's eyes again.

Thorgeir's eyes slowly traveled downwards after a few moment and they stopped when they reached her plump stomach. She smiled at this and gently grabbed his wrist and began to guide his hand over to her.

The Norseman allowed her to do as she please and she kept moving his hand closer and closer to her until it rested on her belly, which was covered by her dear-skin clothes. He smiled as she held his hand in place so he couldn't pull it away and he felt the warm of her womb's life through the leather.

"Our child will have a great life and an even better one when you return." Kizokw commented with a smile as she used her freehand to unbutton her dress and allow his hand to rest on her bare stomach.

"Indeed. I will do everything in my power to protect you both, I promise." Thorgeir replied with a happy smile as he looked at and felt her round belly of life.

They had no idea what the future had in store for them, but they were confident that they would have a happy life together with their child once Thorgeir returned from Europe. Nothing was going to stop them from having a happy life together and they would stop at nothing until they reached this goal.

There would be hardships, but that would not stop them. They had an entire tribe of Natives and half the Vikings to back them up. Even still, the only thing that mattered to them at the moment was each other and their unborn child.

"I love you, Kizokw." the Norseman stated with a loving smile.

"I love you too… Thorgeir." the Abenaki woman replied with a smile of her own.

They then leaned forward and locked together in a kiss. Everything would turn out alright, they were sure of it.


	3. Straight from Asgaard

**Kwai kwai nidobak! I'm sorry that you readers had to wait awhile for this new chapter. My computer started to crap out on me, but a friend of mine was able to fix it. Also, school just ended for me, so I'll hopefully be able to post new chapters more frequently. One last thing, the reviews are meant for reviewing the story. Please don't treat it like a social forum. It just makes me frustrated when I see random crap in the reviews that have nothing to do with the story. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 3: Straight from Asgaard

It was now spring in the New World and all the snow had melted. The plants were just starting to go green again and leaf buds grew on the tree branches. The birds also began to come back and they sang their morning songs.

Both the Norsemen and the Skrælings were currently on the beach and the shop was being prepared to set sail. Almod was making sure that the Vikings, and even a few natives who volunteered to help, were doing their assigned tasks.

Thorgeir was standing on the sidelines with Kizokw and Sougmou. Together, they watched as all the Vikings' supplies and traded goods were loaded onto the longboat and they were just about ready to set sail. Once everything was packed away, the Europeans began to take their seats in the boat and Almod looked over at his friend.

"I need to go now." Thorgeir told his wife with a said tone of voice as he turned to face her, glancing at her larger belly for a split second.

The native woman just sighed heavily before she stepped forward sand they hugged one another.

"Be safe… and come back soon." she told him before they released each other.

"I will." the Norseman promised with a nod before he looked over at the native chief.

"Adio. Nolibamkanni. (Goodbye. Have a nice trip/travel well.)" Sougmou told the Viking as he gently pat his shoulder.

"Adio. (Goodbye.)" Thorgeir spoke in their language with a nod.

Without another word, he walked over to the longboat and Almod let out a hand. He accepted the hand and got into the boat with his friend's help. They both took their seats and a few Skrælings pushed the boat into the water. Once it was in deep enough water, the Norsemen released the sails so they could pick up wind and they began rowing the oars.

Kizokw and Sougmou watched the European boat sail away with frowns on their faces. Despite the uneasy tensions, they enjoyed having Thorgeir and the other kind Norsemen around.

"Adio, Thorgeir." the Abenaki woman whispered with tears in her eyes as the chief rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The other Skrælings walked over to their chief and the pregnant woman with emotionless frowns. Some were happy that the Vikings were gone, but some others were sad they were gone. Either way, they all liked Thorgeir and they felt sympathy towards Kizokw.

"Niona aho wobenakiak kizos posiwaganogan. Wobenakiak… mozmozik odiozon kinikinik volcanda kottliwi kwahliwi tapsiwi. (We are the Children of the Dawn. The people of the East… May the Great Spirit and the Great Creator Bless us and smile upon us.)" Sougmou prayed with his head raised to look at the partially cloudy sky.

The other natives did the same and looked up at the sky. They stayed like that for a few moments before they lowered their heads, turned around, and began to walk back to their village.

* * *

The group of Skrælings could be seen walking into the wilderness through a magical crustal ball that was being held by a skeletal hand. The hand belonged to a robed figure that was sitting on some sort of throne in a dark room. Almost no details could be told about the robed creature. The only facial feature that could be seen under the hood was a pair of glowing green eyes.

The room that the creature was in had almost no light in it and the only lights that were in the room were the creature's glowing eyes and crystal ball. Nothing, but blackness was beyond the throne.

"Yes… the Son of Stone will be born soon… mortals are so entertaining…" the robed figure spoke with a very dry sounding voice.

The robed figure began to cackle darkly as he looked into the crystal ball and his laughs echoed throughout the dark room.

* * *

_ Forests of modern day New Hampshire, near the coastline – year: 1012 C.E._

It was a warm, summer day in the New World and the forests were full of life. Deer and rabbits ate from the grass, birds flew through the clear sky and sang their songs, and a small group of native children could be seen playing a game in a clearing.

These were Abenaki children and they were playing a game that was similar to tag. They chased after one another and tried to gently touch the other's shoulder or chest in order to make them the chaser.

Right now, a young Abenaki boy was being chased by another young boy. The one being chased was different however. He looked more bulky than the other kids and he was fairly tall for an eight year old. His hair was dark brown, as well as his eyes. He wore pants made out of deer skin and shoes made from the same leather. He was shirtless and a hawk feather was tied to his bangs. The feather was on the right side of his face and pointing straight down. Like the other natives, his skin was dark and tan.

The child being chased was tagged by the chaser and he stopped in his tracks to see the other boy running away with the others.

"Kzomi mannossa, Siômo! (You walk/run too slow, Siômo!)" the boy who just tagged Siômo shouted playfully as he and the others ran away.

The twelve year old, now known as Siômo, frowned with determination and ran after the other boys. The kids had to head home in about half an hour, so they wanted to have as much fun possible before heading back to the village.

The group ran into the forest so they would have to maneuver more and they laughed as they were chased by Siômo. They ran around the forest and some even resorted to hiding. The chaser began to have trouble finding his friends as they went deeper into deeper forests and he eventually stopped completely to catch his breath.

"Nidobak!? Tôni odasaan!? (Friends!? Where did you go!?)" Siômo called out with a confused expression.

The young boy didn't receive a response and he quickly got worried because his friends would always answer him, no matter what. The young boy felt his heart beat at a faster rate as fear started to kick in. He's never been alone in the forest before and he didn't like it. His mother always taught him to stay in a group whenever he wasn't in the village.

Siômo brought his hands over his face in an attempt to calm down, but it was working and he whimpered lightly. He didn't even notice as a sickly green mist began to appear behind him and it formed into a humanoid shape.

The mist formed into the robed figure that watched the natives through the crystal ball all those years ago. Now that it was in the light however, its features could easily be seen. Most of its body was covered in tattered dark brown robes that looked as if they were Arabian. The creature possessed four arms instead of just two and long spikes could be seen going along with is spine, sticking out of the robes. The monster was two heads taller than the tallest man. Four serrated swords could also be seen strapped to its belt. Instead of having skin, the monster was a skeleton of a humanoid creature and they eyes sockets were glowing a sickly green.

Siômo could practically feel himself being watched and slowly turned around as his fingers separated so he could see. His dark brown eyes widened when he spotted the robed creature towering over him. He took a few steps back, but ended up tripping on a tree root and falling onto his back with a yelp. The undead creature simply cackled at the boy and took a single step towards the fallen boy.

The Skræling child feared for his life as he stared into the glowing eye sockets with absolute fear. He wanted to scream for help, but he was cut off by the creature itself.

"Greetings… Siômo… I think it's about time you and I spoke… face to face…" the dark entity spoke in the European tongue.

"Ar-are you a Spirit?" they young boy asked fearfully, having learned the language from his mother.

"Hmm… in a way… yes, but not like the ones your people are familiar with." the robed figure answered as if it was choosing its words very carefully; Siômo recognized the voice as male.

The native boy couldn't find the courage to speak again and simply stared at the supernatural creature with terror. He didn't want to say anything either way, so he wouldn't anger the monster.

"Oh… why so shy? I'm not going to hurt you…" the evil deity promised as he leaned over the downed boy.

"Who a-are you?" Siômo stuttered with a very shaky voice, making the creature chuckle for some reason.

"I… go by many… many names. I've been called The Necromancer, Nigromantii, Defúnctus… but you however, you may call me… Nekromant." the robed figure introduced with a slight bow.

The Abenaki child shakily nodded in understanding, but he said nothing. He just wanted to monster to leave and go home. Said creature was able to sense the child's distress, but he payed no mind to it.

"I've come to this pitiful excuse for a realm so that I could tell you something." Nekromant spoke professionally with all four of his arms behind his back. "You may think that you are but a simple boy in your tribe… but you are so much more. You will be involved in events bigger than you could possibly imagine. What you think may only be of fantasy… will be reality. Not only that… but your future is cloaked in blood." he informed vaguely.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Siômo asked with honest curiosity.

"Now… that is the true question. 'What do I mean?' Time will tell you, Siômo… time will tell…" the undead creature spoke as a sickly green mist started to surround his form.

Once the mist completely enveloped Nekromant, it dissipated and the monster wasn't' there anymore. The Skræling boy breathed heavily from shock as he just sat in the dirt, mentally going over what just happened.

'Was that a vision? Like what the elders experience?' he asked in his head as he slowly stood up on his wobbly legs.

Siômo realized at this point that he had to tell his mother what he just experienced and ran off in a random direction, forgetting about his friends. As he ran, he started to recognize the area of woods he was in. he was very close to the beach now.

Once he reached the sandy shores, Siômo stopped dead in his tracks and stared wide eyed at the three Viking longboats sailing towards the beach. He's never seen boats like that before and he felt himself get scared again.

"Siômo?" a female voice asked with confusion.

The young boy looked to his left to see his mother, Kizokw standing there with a confused expression.

"N'nonon! Gagwi ni!? (Mother! What is that!?)" Siômo cried in fear as he ran towards his mother and hugged her legs, completely forgetting about the supernatural experience he just went through.

The Abenaki woman was confused with what he meant, but she understood when she saw the Viking ships approaching the ship. She let a smile form on her lips as she gently rested a hand on her son's head.

"K'mitôgwa. (Your father.)" Kizokw answered simply as she soothingly rocked her son and the ships got closer and closer.

* * *

The three Viking longboats beached at the New World's shores and the many Norsemen jumped off of their boat. They each landed on the wet sand and immediately began to unload cargo. Amongst the men to step off the boats were Almod and Thorgeir.

"Well, the Skrælings are still here." Almod commented when he noticed the group of natives gathering by the tree lines.

The brown haired Viking looked over at the trees and he immediately spotted Kizokw. His green eyes widened when he saw a young tan skinned boy hugging her leg and looking at them. He didn't know who this boy was, but he had a pretty good idea who the parents were.

Thorgeir walked past his tall friend and towards the Abenaki people. Everyone watched as he walked right up to the love of his life, Kizokw. Siômo had no idea who this man was and hid behind his mother's legs. The Norseman was a little sad that his own son feared him, but he hid his negative emotions and smiled at his love.

"Kwai kwai, Kizokw. (Hello, Kizokw.)" he greeted in the Abenaki language, showing her that he hasn't forgotten about her or her people.

"Thorgeir!" the Skræling woman cried with tears in her eyes before she pulled the muscular man into a tight hug.

Siômo was very confused by this and he watched as the bearded man hugged his mother. Once the two adults pulled away from the hug, the child finally spoke up.

"N'nonon, k'wawinawô na sanôba? (Mother, do you know this man?)" the young Skræling asked as he looked up at his mother, who looked down at him with a big smile.

"He is your father, Siômo." she answered in the European tongue.

'Father!?' the child screamed in his head as he stared at the bearded men in front of him and his mother.

The bearded Norseman squatted down so that he was eye level with the eight year old and he gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She's right, Siômo. I'm your father." Thorgeir confirmed with a warm smile.

Siômo was greatly surprised by this news and he didn't know how to take it exactly. He felt like he should be happy because he was now meeting his father, but he also felt anger because he's never met his father before now. Either way, he didn't want to get angry while all these people were watching them and he simply looked into his father's green eyes.

"Hello… father." the young child greeted at almost a whisper.

Thorgeir smiled at his son and gently wrapped his muscular arms around the boy. Siômo was surprised by this at first, but he immediately relaxed and accepted his father's embrace. The Skrælings and some of the Norsemen smiled at this, but the rest of the Vikings had too much self pride to show any emotion for the nice scene. They simply got back to unloading the three boats.

Siômo couldn't help, but smile when he felt his mother hug them both. He finally had a full family again. He recalled the supernatural creature he met in the forest, but he decided to keep that experience to himself. He didn't want to ruin such a happy moment.

* * *

Eleven months have passed since the Vikings came to the New World for the second time. Thorgeir chose to live with the Skrælings again so he could be with his family. About half of the Europeans understood this, but the other half was upset about this, Almod being one of them.

Siômo had grown used to being around his father and he spent as much time as he could with him. He learned about the Norse Gods and the Viking weapons. Thorgeir taught his son how to use a sword and explained the Viking way of life. All of these things intrigued the boy. He learned so much information and learned how to speak the European language more fluently.

Over the winter, it was revealed that Kizokw was pregnant once again and Thorgeir was the father. The natives held a celebration for the unborn child and Siômo was actually excited to have a sibling. He thought it would be nice to have a brother or sister. The Vikings had praised Thorgeir for the expected child, but they did no more.

One day during spring, Almod had entered the Abenaki village and approached Thorgeir, who was away from everyone else and teaching Siômo about Asgaard. They noticed the tall Norseman approaching them and focused on him once he was close enough.

"Thorgeir, we need to talk. We've stayed here for longer than you said we would. We've got plenty of animal furs and clothes to last us all winter next year. That's all we came here for, but we need to return to Europe." Almod spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Wait, you are leaving?" Siômo asked with hurt in his voice as he looked up at his father.

He thought that his father and the other Norsemen were going to stay with him and his people. His father sighed heavily and looked down at him.

"Son, I know you're upset about this, but us Vikings can't stay here forever. The only reason why I was able to come here was that my people needed animal furs for clothes." Thorgeir explained as he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I love you and I'm glad that I could finally meet you, but I can't stay." He said with a sad frown.

"Can I go with you?" Siômo asked quietly as he looked into his father's green eyes.

"No. I want you to stay here with your mother and brother or sister." Thorgeir answered quickly. "Back in Europe… there's wars over there and even plagues. That's not the life I want for you." he spoke more soothingly and he glanced at Almod, who surprisingly nodded at this.

"When… when are you leaving?" Siômo asked hesitantly as he sniffed back tears.

"Yes, when are we leaving?" Almod questioned as well, wanting to return home.

The brown bearded man thought it over and ran a few possibilities in his head. After about a minute, he finally answered.

"We leave three weeks from now." Thorgeir informed them both and he felt his son hug him, which he warmly returned.

"Why must we wait three weeks? Why not now?" the tall Norseman questioned irritably, but he tried his best not to show his frustrations.

The brown haired Viking easily caught the anger in his friend's voice and he glared at him for a short moment before he released his son. He then fully turned to face the tall man, having to look up slightly.

"Two reasons. One: I want to see my second child's birth. Second: I want to make a weapon for Siômo." Thorgeir almost growled as he motioned to his son with his hand.

Almod snorted at this, but he said nothing and walked away without another word. The Viking sighed again before he looked down at his son.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that outburst." he apologized with a frown.

"Don't be. I understand." Siômo assured with a small smile despite the upsetting news he just received.

The man smiled down at the boy as he got on his knees so they could be eye to eye.

"I will have to leave in three weeks, but I give you my word that I'll return one day." Thorgeir told the boy as he rested both hands on Siômo's shoulders. "I love you more than you could ever imagine. That's why I'm going to hand-make a weapon for you." He added with a smile behind his beard.

"What kind of weapon?" the boy couldn't help, but voice his curiosity, making the man before him chuckle.

"That's a surprise." the Norseman replied with an even bigger smile.

Thorgeir pulled Siômo in another warm embrace and they stayed like that for awhile. Little did they know, Nekromant was watching their every move through his crystal ball and he cackled as he watched them within the darkness of wherever he was from.


	4. Rise of a Warrior

**Kwai kwai everyone! As you readers can probably guess, Nekromant isn't exactly a good person and expect to see more of him. I'd also like to thank those of you who are reading this and leaving reviews. I'm not getting nearly as many readers as I've gotten with my Spyro stories. I guess that's because not as many people like Turok unfortunately. Oh well, I'll continue writing either way. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 4: Rise of a Warrior

The weeks have passed since Almod and Thorgeir's discussion and some very important things happened. The baby was born four days ago and it was learned to be a boy. Thorgeir and Kizokw decided to name the baby Awehsohs. They chose this name because the child kicked his father's chin not long after he was born and they believed that the name was fitting.

It was the day that the Vikings would leave for Europe and they were all packing up their stuff into their three longboats. The natives offered to help, but the Norsemen refused any help and worked hard to pack everything up, wanting to return home. Many of them didn't trust the Skrælings, but they had enough self control not to attack them.

Kizokw was at the beach with Awehsohs in her arms and Siômo was standing next to her. They and many other tribals watched the Vikings prepare to leave, but they noticed Thorgeir running towards them with a cloth bag strapped to his back. He stopped once he was in front of his family and he looked at them all with a sad smile.

"I guess this is goodbye… again." the Skræling woman commented with a sigh as she looked into his green eyes.

"Don't worry, I promise to return again. You have my word." the Norseman promised as his eyes trailed to each of their dark brown orbs until they stopped at Siômo's. "I have something for you." he said with a smile.

Thorgeir grabbed the bag strapped to his back and gently set it on the ground in front of his son. Siômo watched with interest as his father opened the bag and his eyes widened when he saw what was inside. The Viking pulled out a Skræling tomahawk and held it out for Siômo to see.

The handle was made out of smooth wood with rawhide leather wrapped around it, most likely being the grip. There were two white hawk feathers tied to the bottom of the handle via rawhide and they each had a black tip. What made the tomahawk unique however was that it had a double edged blade, similar to a Viking war axe. The blades were made of steel, but they were still shaped like tomahawk blades despite being double sided.

"This is my gift to you, son." Thorgeir informed as he gently handed the tomahawk and a sheath for it to Siômo.

The young child took the spiritual weapon without hesitation and looked it over with amazed eyes. He never thought that his father would be the one to make his tomahawk. The Norseman then looked at Kizokw before he unhooked his sheathed Viking sword from his belt and strapped it to hers, greatly confusing her.

"This sword is for Awehsohs when he becomes as old as Siômo is now." the Viking explained before he stood up straight.

He was about to turn around to walk to his boat, but he stopped when he felt his oldest son grab his hand. He turned around with a raised eyebrow and saw the hopeful expression on Siômo's face.

"How will I know if you will come back?" the young native child asked with watery eyes.

Thorgeir sighed, but he gave this some serious thought. He got an idea after a few short moments and he took something out of a pouch in his pants and opened his palm, revealing a necklace. The necklace was made out of a thin, metal chain and a Mjölnir pendent was attached to it.

"This is one of my prized possessions. That pendent is a symbol for Thor's hammer and it brings luck. Keep it until I return." Thorgeir explained as he attached the necklace to his son's neck and stepped back to admire his son's new accessory.

Siômo smiled as he looked down at the Mjölnir on his chest and he nodded to his father. He knew that he would see his father again now.

"Well, I should get going now before Almod throws a fit." the Norseman stated with a light chuckle before he turned around and started to walk away.

Siômo and Kizokw watched as Thorgeir boarded one of the longboats and the Vikings once again sailed away. The Abenaki woman shed a few tears as the love of her life left for the second time and she held their baby close to her chest. She just hoped that he would return soon, for their family's sake.

All of the natives watched as the three Viking longboats sailed away and Thorgeir was waving goodbye to his family, who waved back. The Norsemen sailed towards the East and no one knew when they would return.

* * *

Five years have gone by since the Vikings left the New World for the second time and life had returned to normal for the Skræling tribe. Kizokw's second born child was well taken care of and Siômo began to grow more independent over time. He spent more time in the wilderness, but no one thought this was strange. They respected his wish to be alone.

The half-Skræling, half-Viking seventeen year old was sitting alone in a clearing. There was a calm stream not too far from him and oak trees surrounded the clearing. Some wild rabbits could also been seen eating from the grass not too far from the young native.

Siômo had changed over the years. He was shirtless like he was all those years ago and he was still wearing deerskin pants, but he now had two eagle feathers tied to his shoulder length hair and his double edged tomahawk was strapped to his belt. What popped out the most however, was the inch long beard he was sporting. The facial hair covered his chin, around his lips, and all the way up his cheeks until it connected with his hair.

This beard was the main reason why he stuck out from everyone else. No one besides him had a beard within the tribe and his Viking blood was the reason why he could grow facial hair at all. Some of the men were jealous of his beard, but some others playfully teased him about it. It didn't matter though, he was proud of the way he looked.

Siômo thought about Nekromant and the supernatural experience when he was twelve. He still remembered that moment quite clearly and it still uneased him. He's never told anyone about it, but he thought about it at least once every day. He wanted to know what the undead creature meant and what did his future have in store for him?

The Skræling was brought out of his train of thought when he heard a twig snap somewhere close by. He immediately bolted to his feet and rested his right hand on his sheathed tomahawk.

"Kwai!? (Hello!?)" he called out as his muscles tensed and his dark brown eyes scanned the tree lines.

Siômo visibly relaxed however when he a large group of children ran into the clearing and laughed as they played some game. He accurately guessed that these children were of the Pennacook tribe because they were speaking in a slightly different dialect than him and they spoke a few words he didn't know.

The children didn't seem to mind the lone Abenaki and happily played their game. The young Abenaki noticed that no adults were watching them at the moment and he decided to stay and watch the children so nothing bad would happen to them. He sat back down with his legs crossed and calmly watched the children laugh and play.

'I wouldn't be able to live with myself if someone got hurt when I could've stopped it.' Siômo thought to himself.

Those of the Abenaki tribe considered Siômo's personality to be unique. He wished to help anyone who needed it and he always volunteers to help those in need, but he was also one of the most violent people in the tribe. He often got in trouble for beating people up because they were bullying people.

The young Skræling won many fights because he based his fighting style on both his peoples and the fighting methods of Vikings. Despite his flaws and different appearance, he was accepted amongst the Skrælings of the local area and was generally liked.

Siômo heard footsteps approaching him and he looked to his right to see Sougmou and a Pennacook man approaching him. He saw the two adults exchange words before the Pennacook man rounded up the children and they left. The young Skræling raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't ask why they were here. He just assumed that the man and children came to visit so that the two tribes could trade furs and beads.

"Kwai kwai, Siômo. Doni gedowiozin? (Hello, Siômo. How are you?)" the Abenaki chief greeted with a kind smile as the younger Abenaki stood up.

"Newowlowzi, Sougmou. Ni doni gia? (I'm fine, Chief. And how are you?)" the young Skræling replied politely, showing respect for his elder.

"N'wôwlôwzi nia achi, wliwni ni. (I am very well, thank you.)" the elder replied with a very happy smile and he pat the young man on the back. "Nôji pmossada; wligen ji wli kia. (Let's take a walk; it will be good for you.)" he suggested as he motioned towards a nearby animal trial.

Siômo nodded to this and they both started to walk down the dirt trail. They didn't speak at first; they simply walked in silence and listened to the sounds Mother Earth provided for them. It was at this moment that the young Skræling noticed that Sougmou was carrying his bow on his back.

'Why did he bring his bow? I thought that he didn't hunt anymore.' the bearded native thought to himself, but he didn't voice his curiosity.

"I have been having strange dreams recently." Sougmou spoke for up for the first time in awhile.

The young Abenaki actually flinched when the chief started talking. The chief almost never spoke in the European language, but when he did, it was usually serious. He also only talked in that language with Siômo, Kizokw, and Awehsohs.

"I have been dreaming of a strange land that I am not familiar with… and I see you in this place." the Skræling elder continued as he turned his head to look at the bearded native. "I do not know why I keep having this dream, but I know that it is important… so I brought you something." he said before they both stopped in their tracks.

Siômo stood there with a dumbfounded expression as Sougmou took his bow off his back and held it out for the younger man.

"I… I cannot accept this. This is your bow." he declined as he lightly shook his head.

"Take it. You will find more use for it than I do." the Abenaki chief assured with a warm smile.

Siômo was about to argue, but he knew that Sougmou wouldn't give up until that bow was in his hands. He sighed quietly before he hesitantly grabbed the wooden longbow and looked it over. It looked like any other wooden bow, except this one had feathers tied to the ends of it and rawhide was wrapped around where the left hand would keep the bow steady.

"Wliwni ni. (Thank you.)" the bearded native said gratefully with a nod as he held the bow with his left hand.

The elder nodded back with a smile, happy that he most likely made whatever path Siômo had easier. He then looked up at the partly cloudy sky before looking at the other native's face again.

"Alsoda wigômnok. (Let's go home.)" Sougmou suggested with a kind smile.

Siômo nodded to this and they walked together down the trail and towards their village. Something told them that it was a good thing that they had this exchange.

* * *

Four years after this event, Siômo and a nine year old Awehsohs were sitting in the very same clearing where all the native children liked to play. It was supposed to snow later that day, so most of the kids stayed in the village. The Vikings still haven't returned, but life went on as usual.

Like all the other natives, Awehsohs had tan skin with a small body and dark brown hair, but his eyes were green like his father's however. His dark hair was long enough to reach his ears and an eagle feather was tied to the back of his head, pointed downwards. He was wearing brown pants and shoes made out of deerskin and a short sleeved shirt that was made from wolf skin. Lastly, he was wearing a rawhide necklace with a leather medicine bag tied to it.

Siômo's appearance changed once again. His dark brown hair was now long enough to reach the beginning of his lower back and his beard was about three or four inches long. There were also two hawk feathers tied to his hair, one on the left side of his face and pointed downwards to the left while the one on the right side of his face pointed straight down. He was much more muscular now and light brown pants made form deerskin. He also wore knee high leather boots and bone beaded breastplates. There was also a gray wolf fur cloak on his shoulders and back that went down to his buttocks. The last key feature was that he was still wearing the Mjölnir necklace.

The bearded Skræling was also carrying equipment now. The bow that Sougmou gave him was firmly strapped to his back and a quiver full of arrows was right next to the weapon. It was positioned so he could easily grab a new arrow with his right hand. The double edged tomahawk that his father gave him was securely strapped to his belt. He also had the Viking sword sheathed on the other side of his belt.

Siômo brought his brother out here because today was the day that Awehsohs would receive the blade. They were just waiting for their mother, Kizokw. This was an exciting day for the nine year old. He was finally deemed ready to have their father's sword and he was even happier because his brother would be the one to give him the sword. He just wished that their father was there to see this.

"You excited to get father's sword?" Siômo asked as they stood in the snowy clearing and he had his arm wrapped around his younger brother so they could share body heat.

They usually spoke to each other in the European language because the bearded Skræling wanted his brother to know how to speak the language.

"Yes, I am… I just wish I could meet father and he could see this…" Awehsohs replied with a quiet sigh at the end.

"I understand how you feel. I often wish for father to return." Siômo agreed as he looked up at the cloudy sky.

"Siômo… have you ever wondered which one really exists?" his brother asked curiously after a long moment of silence.

"Huh? What do you mean?" the bearded man asked as he looked down at the nine year old.

"The Spirits and the Norse Gods. Which one do you think really exists?" Awehsohs specified, honestly curious.

Siômo honestly didn't know how to answer this because he thought about this too. He didn't know what to believe in. He would speak of the Spirits during the day, but he prayed to the Gods at night. It didn't really help that he encountered Nekromant during his childhood, a creature that he's never heard of in either beliefs.

"I… do not have the answer to that. I am sorry… I often ask myself that same question." he apologized honestly with a small sigh.

"Oh… it is okay." Awehsohs replied with slight disappointment.

The two brothers were very close in spirit and they could talk to each other about anything. Those from the village considered the two to be close friends because they always watched each other's back. Siômo would defend his brother whenever he could and Awehsohs would find ways to get him out of trouble.

As they waited for their mother to arrive from her hunt, something strange happened. The wind began to pick up all of a sudden and they looked behind them with wide eyes. There was a glowing blue symbol in the snow; it looked like the outline of a light bulb with two filled in circles in it. There were also two glowing circles on both sides of the outline.

"What is that?" Awehsohs asked with amazement, but Siômo didn't answer because he didn't know either.

The symbol was unlike any they've ever seen before. It didn't look like it was of Skræling origin and they couldn't find explanation as to why the symbol was glowing. Whatever the symbol was, it didn't seem natural.

All of a sudden, a glowing blue vortex appeared in front of them and the wind became much stronger, pulling the two natives towards the vortex. Siômo grabbed onto the closest tree and he held on for dear life.

He looked over to where his brother was standing, but his eyes widened in horror when he saw Awehsohs on the ground and being dragged towards the swirling anomaly.

"Siômo!" the nine year old native screamed in fear before he was fully pulled into the flowing vortex.

"Awehsohs!" the young man roared as he watched his brother get sucked into the anomaly and the child could no longer be seen.

Siômo started crying when he could no longer see his brother and his grip on the tree tightened, making his knuckles turn white. It was at that moment that he made a decision. He slowly turned to face the glowing anomaly and his sad expression turned into a determined frown.

Without hesitation, the bearded Skræling released his grip on the tree and flew into the swirling vortex, which disappeared once he was inside. He looked around the area he was falling through in a panic. It was as if he was inside of a glowing blue tornado.

The native was greatly surprised when there was a bright flash that partially blinded him. He gasped from the light, but he could tell that he was falling through much warmer air now. His eyes adjusted just enough so he could see that he was falling through a summer sky, which was odd because it was winter earlier.

Siômo's hectic train of thought was broken however when he began to fall through various tree branches and large leaves. The last thing he registered was him hitting the ground, and then he blacked out.


	5. The Lost Land

**Kwai kwai Nidobak! For those of you who have played the Turok games or at least know the story behind it, I think you'll have a pretty good guess what will happen in this chapter. For those who don't know anything about Turok, this might be an interesting turn of events for you. As always, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 5: The Lost Land

The first thing that Siômo registered was an aching pain in back. His eyes were still closed and he groaned as his finger tips clawed at the ground. He noticed how the air seemed much warmer than it should've been and it was much easier to breath.

'I thought it was winter.' he thought to himself with a groan.

The Skræling slowly opened his dark brown eyes, but he immediately shut them because of the blinding light. He tried again and opened his eyes a crack so he could get used to the light. Once they were adjusted, he opened his eyes all the way to see tropical trees above him.

This was the first major problem. He's never seen any trees like the ones he was looking at right now. He looked at the strange plants with a confused expression before he slowly looked around the area he was in.

The ground was coated in green grass and various ferns and other jungle plants were present. Tropical birds could be heard singing their songs within the trees and caws of other animals could be heard in the distance. Since Siômo grew up nowhere near jungles, this place was completely alien to him.

'What is this place?' he asked in his head as he slowly stood up and looked around the new environment he was in.

It was at this moment that the bearded native recalled what happened before he blacked out. His eyes widened at the thought of his brother and he frantically looked around, trying to find him.

"Awehsohs! Awehsohs! Tôni odosaan!? (Where did you go!?)" Siômo called loudly as he took a few steps forward.

He was terrified that his brother was alone in this strange place and he hoped to the Sprits and Gods that he was alright.

"Awehsohs!" the young man called again, but he received no reply.

The only thing he was rewarded with was silence. No one called back and some of the birds flew away because of his shouting.

"Moji! (Shit!)" Siômo screamed in frustration before he rested his forehead on one of his hands.

The young native breathed heavily as he started to go into shock. Not only were he and his brother separated in this strange land, but he didn't even know if his brother was safe or not. He tried to take deep breaths to control his breathing and calm down, but he was interrupted from the sound of a twig snapping and a growl.

Siômo immediately adopted a combat stand and unsheathed his double bladed tomahawk. All of a sudden, a large bird-like creature rushed out of the bushes and the Skræling gasped before he barrel rolled away from the creature, dodging its claws. Once he was on his feet, he got a good look at the creature.

The monster's height was up to Siômo's chest and dark gray scales could be seen under its patches of muddy yellow feathers. There's wasn't nearly as much feathers on the creature's head however, but the feathers that were on its head made it look like it had a mohawk. The creature's eyes were blood red where they should've been white, and the pupils were black slits. The human didn't know this, but this monster was a raptor; a Deinonychus to be exact.

"Gagwi ni? (What is that?)" Siômo mumbled to himself as he crouched down into his animalistic combat stance.

The Deinonychus barked challengingly as it flexed its razor sharp claws at the end of its fingers before it charged. The native's dark brown eyes hardened as he frowned deeply and he waited until the animal was within reaching distance.

Once the raptor was close enough and it tried to bite into him, he grabbed hold of its neck with his left hand. It snapped its jaws shut repeatedly as it tried to get around to bite him, but he kept mobbing in a clockwise motion so it couldn't get a good hit on him. After a few moments of this, Siômo raised his tomahawk over his head and brought it down with a mighty roar.

There was a wet sounding crack as the tomahawk blade pierced through the raptor's skull and it immediately went limp. The Skræling dropped the dinosaur's body onto the ground and panted from the use of energy.

"Kagwi lla!? (What's happening!?)" he asked shakily as he looked at the animal's corpse.

Siômo flinched when he heard the sounds of barking, which sounded like the bark that the raptor made. His eyes widened, realizing that the Deinonychus he just killed was calling for help. His worried expression then turned into a frown and he unsheathed his father's Viking sword with his left hand.

Two raptors ran out of the foliage and slowly circled around the lone native. They growled and barked at him as he bent down into his combat stance again. One of the raptors let out a loud snarl and charged.

Acting on pure instinct, Siômo swung his sword at the charging Deinonychus and he heard two thumps on the ground. He looked down at the animal's corpse to see that he had cut its head clean off.

The remaining dinosaur roared in fury before it leapt towards the native, aiming to slice him open with the sickle-like claws on its feet. The Skræling quickly jumped out of the way, but he growled when he felt one of its claws cut his left forearm.

When the Deinonychus landed on the ground and started to turn around, Siômo raised his double edged tomahawk over his head and he threw it with a mighty roar. The spinning weapon flew through the air until it lodged into the raptor's face, killing it instantly. He watched as the raptor stumbled a little before it fell to the ground with a thump.

Siômo panted with a heavy frown as he stared at the three dead animals on the ground. Their feathered bodies were coated in their own blood and puddles of the crimson could be seen on the ground. He calmly walked over to the last one he killed and roughly pulled his tomahawk out of its head.

Once he retrieved his tomahawk, he sheathed both of his weapons and started to walk away. He stopped however when he heard a few chirps and he looked over his shoulder at the raptors. There were smaller raptor-like animals that were about a foot tall in the clearing now and they were eating the three corpses.

These new dinosaurs had yellow eyes with black slits and razor sharp teeth. Their bodies were covered in dark green scales and light gray feathers could be seen on the underside of their arms and on top of their heads. These new creatures were known as Compsognathus, otherwise known as Compies.

'Scavengers.' the native thought to himself as he watched the small dinosaurs feast on the raptors, exposing the corpses' inner organs and muscles.

Not wanting to witness the animals feasting, Siômo looked straight ahead again and started walking. He's never seen any animals like that before and he wanted to know exactly where he was. As he walked, he rested his right hand on the cut on his left arm and he applied pressure to stop the bleeding. He wasn't hurt too bad and he believed that he'd be fine.

The lone Skræling kept walking until he came to an even larger clearing before and there was a river. What shocked him however, was the heard of Stegosaurus. The large animals were eating from the bushes and drinking water from the river in peace. Siômo looked up when he heard the sound of caws and brown scaled Pterodactyls flying in the sky.

'What is this place?' he thought to himself as he slowly crouched down so the animals wouldn't' see him.

Thankfully, he was upwind and the creatures wouldn't be able to detect his scent. He watched the animals to see how they acted in their natural habitat and was fascinated by them. This place was so different from his home and he couldn't understand how such a place could exist.

The native's thoughts were broken when he noticed the large dinosaurs tense up and wander off. He was confused by this, but his eyes widened when he saw people walk into the clearing next to the river. He was about to come out to greet them, but he stopped when he got a good look at them.

These people weren't human; their bodies were covered in green or brown scales and they were reptilian. They wore metal armor and carried strange weapons. Some of them were very skinny, but a few others were more muscular and bulky. Whatever these creatures were, they were unlike anything Siômo has seen as of yet.

It seemed that the reptilian creatures were searching around the area, but Siômo couldn't' tell why. He thought that maybe they were hunting or something like that.

The bearded native was debating whether he should go over there and speak to the reptilian creatures, but something told them that wouldn't be a wise move. He decided to try to sneak away from them, but he didn't want to go back where the raptors were.

'I'll have to sneak around them.' Siômo thought to himself as he took out his bow as an extra precaution.

Making sure to stay low by crouching down, the Skræling moved within the foliage so he wouldn't be detected. He was thankful that there were so many bushes around that he could hide in, but he had to watch where he went so he wouldn't step on any twigs. When he was close enough to hear the creatures clearly, he stopped and listened with amazement when he heard them speaking in the European language.

"Why are we out here in the middle of the damned jungle?" a skinny, green scaled reptile creature spoke with a raspy and guttural voice.

"Because there was some kind of explosion somewhere nearby and we were told to investigate." Another skinny creature answered with a guttural voice as well.

'I guess that is how they speak.' Siômo thought to himself as he watched them talk to each other.

"I swear, if a human was the cause of this, I'll tear off its arms and light it on fire." one of the more bulky creatures commented with a growl.

The Skræling was surprised at the hostility and he saw that the others of its kind agreed with what it just said. Feeling very intimidated now, he slowly withdrew an arrow from the quiver on his back and gently rested it on his bow.

He had to choose now; fight the strange monsters or flee. It seemed as though fate had chosen for him because he accidentally stepped on a twig when he tried to move away.

"What was that!?" another bulky lizard creature asked as they all tensed up.

Siômo had to make a decision now. He quickly yet silently drew the arrow back and took careful aim. The humanoid lizards were just about to search the area when an arrow flew through the air and hit one of the bulky ones on the head. They all turned to face their comrade, just in them to see him fall to the ground, dead.

The bearded native quickly took out another arrow and took aim after he fired the first one. There was no backing out now. He had to kill these creatures now. He released the arrow he was holding back and a skinny lizard man fell to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his neck.

"It's coming from the bushes!" a bulky lizard man boomed and they all aimed their weapons in Siômo's direction.

Realizing that their strange weapons were a threat, the Skræling got up and rushed towards the nearest tree. He heard a bunch of loud booms and small explosions as he ran, but he didn't dare stop. Once he reached the nearest tree, he dived behind it and took out another arrow.

"What sort of weapons are these?" he whispered as he peeked out of cover to look at the lizard creatures' ranged weapons.

"I knew it was a human! Get out here, maggot!" a muscular creature roared furiously as it pumped its weapon, making a clicking noise.

Siômo responded by jumping out of cover, shooting the creature who spoke in the chest, and then jumping back behind the tree.

'Three left. I can do this.' the native thought to himself as he heard them fire their loud weapons again and he heard whizzing noises as projectiles flew past the tree.

He heard one of them growl in frustration and they stopped shooting. Siômo was about to jump out of cover again, but he heard the sound of heavy footsteps. Realizing what they were doing, he quickly put his arrow away and took out his double edged tomahawk.

As soon as he unsheathed his prized weapon, one of the bulky creatures rushed around the tree and pointed its weapon at the native. He used his left hand to grip the creature's wrist and forced it to aim at the ground.

The creature accidentally pulled the trigger and fired at the ground, but he was trying to shake his wrist free. Siômo held an iron grip however and raised his weapon over his head before bringing it down with a loud grunt. One edge of the tomahawk's blade pierced through the monster's head with a loud crack and it went limp.

As soon as that one died, the two others, who were the skinny ones, rushed towards the native. Acting on instinct, he pulled his tomahawk out of the dead body's head, rushed forward, and buried the blade in one of the surviving creature's chest. The lizard monster let out a roar of pain before being punched in the face by the native. It grunted as it fell to the ground and its attacker pulled his weapon out of his chest.

The final lizard creature stopped charging when it realized that it was the last one alive and it took a step back from Siômo, who was panting heavily and glaring at it. Its shaky hands dropped the weapon it was holding and it held its hand up in surrender.

"I give up, don't kill me…" the skinny creature spoke with a shaky voice as it got on its knees and put its hand behind its head.

Siômo slowly walked towards the surrendering creature and gently picked up the weapon it dropped. He looked at the one handed weapon before looking at his prisoner.

"What is this thing?" he demanded with a heavy frown.

"What? What do you mean 'what is this?' That's a pistol." the skinny creature answered with a confused expression.

The lone Skræling looked over the pistol and he figured that it must be one of those ranged weapons that the rest of the creature's allies were using.

The pistol itself was made out of some kind of plastic material that Siômo was unfamiliar with. It had iron sights on it and it was made so that anything with hands could operate it. This was an important feature because the lizard men only had three fingers while the native had five.

"What are you and where am I?" Siômo questioned as he aimed the pistol at the humanoid lizard's head.

"I'm a Sleg… and this place is called the Lost Land." the creature, now identified as a Sleg, answered honestly, but he looked very shocked that the human didn't know any of this.

"I see… you are free to leave. Just do not follow or attack me… or I will kill you." the half-Viking told the Sleg before he placed the pistol in one of his pouches and walked away without another word.

Siômo heard the Sleg scamper off and he sighed as he walked towards the river. Once he was right next to the flowing stream, he squatted down and looked at his reflection in the water. He somehow knew that he would face many new dangers in this "Lost Land," but there was only one thing that he was truly concerned with. Where was Awehsohs?

* * *

In another part of the jungle, a squad of Sleg troops were walking down a dirt path. The skinny gunners were armed with either a long-barreled pistol or a sniper rifle, and the bulky ones wearing metal armor carried shotguns.

"So, Reptantis… what do you think that shockwave in the sky was? And what do you think that falling thing was?" one of the skinny soldiers questioned curiously.

"I don't know. Just shut up so you don't attract raptors or saver-toothed cats." the Sleg being spoken to replied gruffly as his reptilian yellow eyes glared at the smaller soldier.

Reptantis was one of the more muscular Slegs. His scales were dark green, he possessed a stubby tail like the rest of his comrades, and his snout was short. He was slightly taller than everyone else in his squad too, at least half a head taller. He wore silver colored metal plating on his back and chest for protection, as well as metal gauntlets. A protective metal helmet was also resting on his head, which covered the back and top of his head, and he was also wearing spiked shoulder pads. The last key feature he had was that there was a small diagonal scar on his right cheek.

Reptantis was armed with a shotgun that looked like it was made out of metal or hard plastic. It was very spherical in shape, but the barrel ended with four nozzles that the shotgun shells would come out of. He also carried a pistol that was in a holster on his belt and a serrated combat knife was sheathed next to his pistol.

"Um sorry, Reptantis. I was just trying to start a conversation." the skinny Sleg apologized as he looked down at the ground.

"Well stop." the taller soldier ordered with as he shook his head.

The soldiers continued to walk in silence after that, none of them wanting to upset their commander. Reptantis was upset because the Slegs he answered to told him that he had to work with another squad of Slegs for this search. They seemed pretty intent of finding out just what happened in the sky and what fell from that unnatural anomaly.

The dirt path finally ended at a clearing and a squad of some very different humanoid reptile could be seen. These new creatures looked like bipedal raptors with mechanical parts fused to them. Unlike actual raptors, these creatures had no feathers. The scales on their backs and forehead were black while all their other scales were light brown. Like the Slegs, their tails were short and stubby, but sharp spikes were jutting out of their shoulders, thighs, and lower arms. They each had one mechanical shoulder pad on their right and a sort of helmet fused to their heads. Lastly, they each were a head taller than the normal Slegs.

"Dinosoids." a skinny sniper commented quietly within Reptantis' group, obviously not looking forward to working with the new group.

"About time you guys got here." one of the Dinosoids grumbled with a very similar guttural voice that the Sleg's possessed.

"What's the situation?" Reptantis asked professionally as he looked at the soldier who spoke.

"We started searching around the area as soon as we arrived, and we think we found something… a human." the Dinosoid explained as he walked right up to the Sleg.

"…A human? You're telling me that a human fell from the sky?" Reptantis asked skeptically.

"If you don't' believe me, then check for yourself." the cybernetic soldier spat as he barred his razor sharp teeth.

The Sleg waited a few moments before he slowly nodded. He then looked at his squad.

"Stay here and secure the area. Me and a few Dinosoids are gonna see if there is a human around here." he ordered sternly and his soldiers saluted him.

Reptantis then turned around and walked with three Dinosoids. They wandered into the thick foliage and bushes until they came to another clearing. This one was smaller than the one they were just in, but there was something very interesting laying flat on the ground.

Awehsohs' unconscious body was lying face down in the grass. The Sleg was greatly surprised that such a young child was in the jungle alone, yet these cybernetic soldiers were telling him that this child fell from the sky.

"I told you that we found a human." the Dinosoid from earlier commented as they all approached the unconscious child and circled around him.

"I see that. I certainly wasn't expecting this." Reptantis replied as one of the Dinosoid's gently pushed the boy with his bare foot so the child would roll over on his back.

They each looked at the boy's face once he was on his back and they were certainly surprised. They've never seen a human with such dark skin before and the boy's choice in attire was also unique. Whoever this human child was, he was unlike other human's they've encountered.

**I would like to thank the author, Warrior of Spectra, for referencing this story in his story, "The Legend of Spyro: The Forsworn." I highly recommend it, it's a good read.**


	6. The Search Begins

**Kwai kwai everyone! Well, the Slegs have found Awehsohs before Siômo could. That's definitely not a good thing. I've noticed that this story is slowly gaining more attention so that makes me happy. I just wish more of you readers would review or give me feedback. Oh well, I'll keep writing no matter what. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 6: The Search Begins

There was nothing, but darkness and a black void. The soft sound of thunder could be heard in the distance and the various caws of ravens. The darkness was pierced by light suddenly, as red lightning struck through the open space.

The red lightning struck one of the many floating islands within the black void. These floating islands had nothing, but forests of dead trees and ruined buildings on them. No like existed in this place, but undead monsters could be seen wondering around, each possessing glowing blue eyes.

The skeletons of dragons were flying through the air, human skeletons wearing medieval armor guarded the buildings, and various other monstrosities could be seen.

One of the larger floating islands held a ruined castle and tower on it. Within the tower, Nekromant could be seen in a dark office-like room and he was sitting at a desk. He was writing on a scroll and using an unknown creature's blood as ink. His glowing green eye sockets stared at the piece of parchment as he furiously wrote what seemed to be a letter.

After awhile of writing, he gently placed his blood stained quill in the inkblot full of blood and he quickly read over the letter. Once he was satisfied with hi, he rolled it up and the note disappeared in a mist of sickly fog.

"Janus better respond to that as soon as he gets it." the robed deity grumbled as he walked over to the window and looked at the red lighting strike throughout the black sky.

As he looked out the window, one of his right hands reached into his dark brown robes and pulled out his crystal ball. An image began to take shape within the smooth crystal and a group of Slegs and Dinosoids could be seen looking down at Awehsohs unconscious body.

'What an unfortunate turn of events. I wouldn't wish to be in that child's position.' Nekromant thought to himself with a dark chuckle, finding the serious predicament entertaining.

The Necromancer walked over to the chair at his desk and sat down as he stared at the scene. He was highly amused at how Siômo and his brother have progressed in the strange land they were taken to and he made a mental note to constantly watch them whenever he could.

"It never ceases to amaze me just how… entertaining mortals are." the robed figure thought aloud with a cackle as red lighting boomed outside the window.

* * *

Awehsohs groaned softly as he felt his body wake up from its slumber. He registered that he was lying on his back and that the sun was shining on his face. He slowly opened his green eyes to see the shine of the sun and a large number of silhouettes standing over him.

"Hey, I think he's waking up." one of the silhouettes spoke with a guttural voice.

The young Skræling's vision adjusted to the light and his green eyes widened in fear when he saw all the Dinosoids and single Sleg standing over him and looking at him. He's never seen people like this before and he was terrified of them.

Awehsohs breathed heavily in fear as he tried to crawl away, but he only succeeded in bumping into one of the Dinosoid's legs. The soldiers watched the obviously frightened child before one of them spoke up.

"I think we should just kill him and be done with it." a Dinosoid commented with an emotionless voice.

"I second that." another Dinosoid agreed as he turned the safety off on his rifle.

The young native gasped when they discussed his execution and he started trembling in fear. Some of the Dinosoids chuckled at this, but Reptantis grabbed the child's arms and pulled him to his feet.

"We were told to find what fell from the sky. Not kill anyone." the Sleg said sternly as he rested his left hand on the child's shoulder and lazily gripped his shotgun with the right.

"Are you trying to tell us how to do our jobs?" one of the Dinosoids questioned with a threatening glare.

"…I won't let you kill the child." Reptantis stated sternly with a death stare.

Awehsohs realized that the muscular scaled Sleg was defending him, so he scooted a little closer to the green scaled humanoid lizard.

"Why does this human's life matter so much?" the Dinosoid that Reptantis first met asked as he took a step forward.

"Because… um… he's different than other humans." the Sleg commander said quickly, not wanting to reveal his real reasons for sparing the native child.

The Dinosoids looked at each other for a few moments before looking at the Sleg again.

"Fine. The human will not be killed… but he will be sent to the closest Sleg camp as a prisoner." the first Dinosoid stated sternly. "And you'll be watching him until an airship arrives." he added before he and the others of his kind walked back to the other clearing.

Reptantis sighed heavily when he was them begin to walk away and he looked won at the terrified child. He questioned himself whether he did the right thing or not, but the look in the kid's eye answered that question for him.

"C'mon, let's go." the Sleg spoke with his usual guttural voice as he nudged the kid in the direction his allies went.

Awehsohs obediently walked forward with Reptantis' hand firmly on his shoulder and it didn't take long for them to reach the other clearing. The Dinosoids payed no attention to them, but the other Slegs immediately looked at the young native, making him very nervous.

'Why are they all staring at me? What are they? Did I do something wrong?' he asked in his head as the green and or browned scaled creatures approached them.

"Excuse me sir, but why did you bring a human child to us?" one of the snipers questioned with a confused expression.

"This human…" Reptantis started as he raised the boy's right arm. "…is the thing that fell from the sky. We need to watch over him until an airship arrives to pick him up" he informed his squad.

"Great… babysitting duty." one of the green scaled Slegs mumbled under his breath.

"Just shut up and keep the area secure. I'll watch over the kid." Reptantis snapped as he lowered the child's arm.

The Slegs grumbled to themselves and dispersed. Once they were away, the Sleg commander looked down at the Skræling boy.

"You have a name, kid?" he asked, finally directing his full attention to the child.

"A-Awehsohs… my name is Awehsohs." the young native answered shakily as he trembled slightly in fear.

"Why can't you humans ever choose simple names." the Sleg commander mumbled, finding the pronunciation strange and slightly confusing. "I am Reptantis; commander of this squad." he introduced with a straight face and a nod towards the other Slegs.

The Skræling child nodded to this, but didn't comment. In truth, he had many questions that he wanted to ask the humanoid reptile, but he didn't want to make him angry for various reasons. He was still trying to figure out how he got to such an alien place and why those black scaled creatures wanted to hurt him. This place was so confusing to him.

"You're not from the Lost Land, are you?" Reptantis asked as he tilted his head to the side a little, expressing his interest.

"I… no… my home is much colder than this place… and lizard men are not around to make me scared…" Awehsohs answered quietly with his head down.

The commander wasn't really surprised by any of this because he's seen plenty of strange things in his life. He had to admit that a child falling from the sky and coming from a place other than the Lost Land was a first for him however.

"Well, I don't know where you came from or how you came here, but I am guessing that you're here to stay. Just keep quiet, be obedient, and you'll do alright with us." the Sleg informed as he gently rested his three fingered hand on the child's shoulder.

"I want to go home… I do not wanna be here anymore…" the native boy whimpered as he looked at the armed Dinosoids and Slegs across the clearing.

"I know. It's unfair, but that's how life is. Just do what I told you and you can keep your life." Reptantis tried to comfort, but he really wasn't used to making people feel better.

He wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by the sound of jet engines. He and everyone else looked up at the sky to see some sort of futuristic aircraft flying over them and hovering in the air, greatly contrasting the prehistoric jungle. The flying aircraft was rectangular in shape with four thrusters on the corners to keep it in the air. The whole vehicle was covered in gray metal plating for protection and it was large enough to hold at least a dozen people.

The airship lowered so close to the ground that it was almost touching the grass and a ramp lowered from the underside of the ship, revealing a space where soldiers would be transported.

"Human! Get over here!" one of the Dinosoids barked as they began to board the airship.

"Go on. I need to stay here." Reptantis said softly as he nudged the boy towards the ship.

Hesitantly, Awehsohs walked over to the ship. Once he was close enough to the ramp, the Dinosoid who shouted at him earlier grabbed him from under the arms and lifted him onto the ramp. The young Skræling stumbled a bit when he was set down and the cybernetic lizard roughly pushed him up the ramp.

Awehsohs grunted as he fell to the floor and the ramp was raised, blocking the inside of the ship from outside. He felt the Dinosoid grab his arms and uncaringly lifted him up to his feet.

"Sit down and shut up, human." the Dinosoid spat before he sat down in one of the many seats.

The young Abenaki boy frowned sadly frowned as he sat down in an open seat between two Dinosoids. They payed no attention to him and got into a conversation with one another. The child didn't understand what they were talking about, but he didn't want to ask so they wouldn't hurt him.

The airship shifted suddenly and Awehsohs could tell that they were moving. He didn't know how such a strange "sky boat" could do this, but he didn't say anything and looked down at the metal floor.

'I wanna go home… where is Siômo?' he asked fearfully in his head.

* * *

In another part of the jungle, Siômo was walking down an animal trial and he was holding his bow with his left hand. He was trying to see if his brother was somewhere close by, but he wasn't having any luck so far. The only thing he came across was a heard of deer earlier and more jungle.

The half Viking didn't care how he came to this place at the moment; the only thing he focused on was finding Awehsohs and keeping his brother safe from harm. He would figure out how he got to the Lost Land later.

'Come on, Awehsohs. Where are you?' the Skræling thought to himself as he walked down the dirt path.

He stopped in his tracks when he heard the sound of talking not too far ahead. Not wanting to be seen by whoever was approaching his vicinity, he silently ran into the nearby foliage and crouched down. He also grabbed an arrow out of the quiver on his back and gently readied his bow to fire.

Siômo waited for a few moments until he spotted a squad of Slegs casually walking down the dirt path in the direction he came from. He noticed how they were armed like the other Slegs he faced.

'I should not risk getting into another fight. It would be best to just let them pass.' the bearded native thought to himself.

The Skræling watched as the soldiers walked closer and closer. It wasn't long before he could hear exactly what they were saying to each other.

"So… who was that human kid we found earlier anyway?" he heard one of the skinnier Slegs ask, gaining his interest almost immediately.

"He told me that his name is Awehsohs or something like that." the muscular Sleg with a scar on his face answered.

Siômo's eyes widened when he heard this. Those hostile creatures saw his brother, specifically the one with a scar. He felt anger that they found his brother before him and his mind pictured the worst. He decided that he needed more information and he pulled the string back on his arrow.

"Hm, strange name. I personally think we should've shot him on the spot, but I-" the skinny Sleg who first spoke was cut off when Siômo's arrow pierced through the side of his head.

The other Slegs whipped around in surprise to find their ally dead on the ground with a puddle of blood under his head. They raised their pistols, rifles, and shotguns to scan around for the threat, but they were caught off guard when their sniper was shot in the chest from another arrow.

"Open fire!" the scar-faced Sleg shouted and they began shooting at the foliage, not sure where there enemy was exactly.

Siômo quickly and stealthily moved away from where they were shooting and behind a tree. He realized that it would be too risky to run up to them to hack and slash them, and it was too dangerous to kill them one at a time with his bow. He recalled the pistol that he got from his first encounter from the Slegs and pulled it out with his right hand.

'I do not know how to use this exactly, but I suppose I will find out in a few seconds.' the bearded native thought to himself as he strapped his bow to his back and gripped the gun's handle with both hands.

Taking a big chance, Siômo peeked out of cover and took aim. Not knowing how to fire it, he tried to squeeze the barrel, but that didn't fire it. The Slegs noticed his presence at this point and shot at the tree he was partially hiding behind.

The bearded native gasped and took cover again. He looked over the pistol again and finally noticed the trigger. He placed his right index finger over it and noticed now it could be pulled back.

'Maybe this will work.' he thought to himself as he breathed heavily, trying to steady his nerves.

Siômo waited for the gunfire to die down a little bit before he jumped out of cover again. He aimed in the Slegs' general direction and squeezed the trigger. His eyes widened as the recoil caught him by surprise and the gun almost smashed into his face.

One of the Slegs cried out in pain as the bullet entered his shoulder and he dropped his rifle. The Skræling noticed this and took aim again. He made sure to hold a tighter grip on the weapon and he managed to shoot the wounded enemy in the chest.

The Sleg fell to the ground and died and there were only four of them left. Siômo hid behind cover again when the gunfire picked up again.

"Kill the human, dammit!" he heard one of them yell, but that only made him more determined.

The lone native peeked out of cover and shot another Sleg, this time in the face. The soldier immediately fell dead and the remaining three finally ran for cover themselves. They hid behind trees on the other side of the dirt path, but Siômo spotted where they were hiding.

Once one of them jumped out of cover to shoot, he opened fire and three bullets pierced the Sleg's chest, killing him. Now, only a skinny Sleg and the scar faced muscular one was left.

The bearded native aimed at the skinny one that jumped out of cover to open fire and he squeezed the trigger, but the gun didn't' fire. It only let out a click. Not understanding what was happening, he squeezed the trigger several times, only to achieve the same results.

'What is wrong with this thing?' Siômo asked in his head as he hid behind cover again and looked over the pistol. 'I will have to fix it later… somehow.' he thought to himself as he stuffed the gun in his pouch.

He took out his bow again and notched an arrow. Once again, he waited for the gunfire to die down a bit before he popped out of cover, pulled the string back, and released it. The arrow flew through the air before it hit the skinny Sleg in the throat.

The remaining Sleg watched as his comrade tried in vain to stop the bleeding before falling to the ground, dead. He wasn't expecting a lone human to be able to single handedly whip out his whole squad.

Siômo realized that the Sleg with the scar was the only one left and he replaced his bow in favor of his double edged tomahawk. He took a deep breath before he ran out of cover and towards the Sleg hiding behind the tree. He ran as fast as he could, hoping that his enemy wouldn't notice him approaching and open fire.

Just when he was about to reach the tree, the scarred Sleg jumped out of cover and aimed his gun at him. Thinking quickly, the bearded native swiped his tomahawk upward and the underside of the blade forced the Sleg to aim u into the air.

The Sleg squeezed the trigger as this happened and the shotgun shot into the sky. Siômo noticed that he had and opening and he quickly smashed the bottom of his fisted hand into his enemy's face, knocking the Sleg to the ground.

The Sleg grunted as he dropped his shotgun and fell onto the ground with a thud. The Skræling quickly bent down over his fallen enemy and held the blade end of the tomahawk over the Sleg's throat.

"Who are you?" he questioned the Sleg as he menacingly barred his teeth.

"…My name is Reptantis…" the scarred Sleg answered emotionlessly as he glared at the human above him.

"Where is my brother?" the native asked more calmly this time, trying not to lose his cool despite is ever growing anger.

"Brother?" Reptantis replied with a questionable expression.

"WHERE'S MY BROTHER!?" Siômo boomed furiously as the edge of the tomahawk blade touched the Sleg's neck.

"…You're skin… it's dark like the boy in the jungle. Is Awehsohs your brother?" the scare faced commander questioned upon realization.

The Skræling breathed heavily to control his anger and he slowly nodded. He noticed the Sleg's eyes widen from this, thus confirming his suspicions that he knew something.

"Your brother was taken to a nearby camp… to the south." Reptantis revealed, being completely honest.

Siômo waited a few moments before he quickly stood up and started walking down the trial. He didn't care about the Sleg anymore. He just wanted to his brother and go home.

"Wait… you're going the wrong way!" the Sleg called as eh slowly stood up, grabbed his shotgun and ran after the human.

The lone native stopped and turned around to see Reptantis casually standing behind him, which greatly surprised him.

"The closest camp is that way." Reptantis specified as he pointed in the direction that Siômo came from. "I'll show you." he offered, honestly wanting to help.

"Why?" was all Siômo could say as he looked at the Sleg with a confused expression.

"Does it matter?" the Sleg commander answered simply without giving a specific answer.

The Skræling carefully looked at Reptantis before he slowly nodded. The Sleg nodded back and they walked own the dirt trial in the correct direction. Siômo couldn't figure out why the very Sleg he attempted to kill earlier was helping him, but he didn't question it. He had to admit that he was glad for the help and that he wasn't alone anymore. He just hoped that the new help would make it easier to find Awehsohs.

**The OC character, Janus, belongs to Warrior of Spectra.**


	7. Prepare for the Hunt

**Kwai Kwai nidobak! If you readers haven't noticed it already, the dinosaurs in this story look a little different than the mainstream ones. I'm mostly referring to the feathers on them, but I'm doing this for a reason. I did a lot of historical research before I started writing this story and I want the dinosaurs to be as realistic as possible. I'm going off modern discoveries of what dinosaurs looked like rather than basing them off the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. I just wanted to let you all know that before this chapter got started. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 7: Prepare for the Hunt

Within the jungle of the Lost Land, Siômo and Reptantis were walking down the dirt path together. The exotic animals could be heard from the trees and foliage, and the skies were mostly cloud free.

They haven't encountered any hostile creatures since they first met, but they were still prepared. Reptantis casually held his shotgun in both hands while Siômo tensely held his bow in his left hand.

The Sleg wanted to tell his human companion to relax, but he understood Siômo's unease. Being brought to the Lost Land when you're from a completely different reign of existence must take its toll on people.

"Is Awehsohs alright?" the bearded native asked all of a sudden, speaking for the first time in awhile.

"Yeah… he's fine. I talked the others into letting him live." the Sleg answered honestly and with the most comforting voice that his guttural speech allowed.

Siomo was slightly surprised by this. This was the only Sleg he's seen so far that hasn't been overly hostile towards him. And the fact that this Sleg decided to help him for no apparent reason raised many questions.

"Thank you." the Skræling said quietly with appreciation.

"No problem." Reptantis replied with a barely noticeable smile. "Say… what's your name anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Siômo. It means Hawk in my people's language." the bearded native answered.

"Hm… interesting." the Sleg commented and he looked ahead, keeping an eye out for possible dangers.

They kept walking in silence after that; neither of them knowing what to say to one another. Siômo was startled however and let out a gasp when a Maganeura that was about a foot in length flew right in front of his face. This creature was basically a large dragonfly with a dark green exoskeleton and black legs. The wings were mostly see-through, but they had a blue tint to them.

"Relax. Dragonflies don't attack people. They eat flies and other pests" the Sleg assured as he rolled his eyes.

The Maganeura hovered in front of the startled native's face for a few moments before it flew away without any trouble. The Skræling simply shook his head in response to this before he started walking again with Reptantis next to him.

As they walked down the trail, Siômo put away his bow and took out the pistol he scavenged. He had no idea why it stopped working and he looked it over, trying to figure out the problem. Reptantis noticed this and stopped all of a sudden. The native saw his ally do this, so he stopped as well.

"What is wrong?" the bearded native questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you even know how to use a gun?" the Sleg replied as he pointed at the gun.

"…No, I do not." Siômo answered with a quiet sigh.

"You need to reload it. Let me see it so I can show you." his companion requested as he held his hand out.

The Skræling eyed the Sleg before he placed the pistol gently in his three fingered hand. Reptantis held the pistol with his right hand and took out a handgun magazine out of his pouch with his left hand.

"These are called magazines or clips; they hold projectiles called bullets. These bullets function kinda like your arrows, except much more powerful. The only drawbacks are that their louder and you can't just make more on the spot like with arrows." Reptantis explained as he ejected the empty magazine from the pistol and slit in the new one.

The Sleg then pulled back the slide on the top of the pistol before he released it, causing it to snap in place again. He then handed the gun back to Siômo, who watched the demonstration carefully.

"Thank you. You have been very helpful." he said gratefully as he lowered his pistol so that it was pointing at the ground.

Reptantis just nodded before he took out his canteen and took a swig from it. Siômo looked up at the sky to see a few more giant dragonflies flying overhead and he couldn't help, but watch the strange and peaceful creatures. He found it fascinating how insects could be so small back where he came from, yet so big in this place. He was taught that he must respect all forms of life back where he came from, so he chose to respect the life in the Lost Land as well.

The peaceful moment was broken and they both tensed up when they heard the sound of heavy footsteps running in their direction. All of a sudden, a raptor that was much larger than a Deinonychus leapt out from the bushes with its claws outstretched and its jaw wide open. The Sleg quickly aimed his shotgun at the dinosaur and squeezed the trigger.

The large raptor's head was blown clean off and a mist of red blood erupted from the neck as it fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Utahraptors!" Reptantis shouted as more of the dinosaurs jumped out of the foliage and they quickly circled around the two men.

The Utahraptors were like a much larger version of the Deinonychus, except these raptors were a foot taller than the tallest man and they didn't have nearly as much feathers as their relatives. These raptors possessed dark gray scales with white stripes with bright red feathers on the backs of their heads. Their eyes were yellow with black slits and they each growled at their pray.

Reptantis pumped his shotgun to ready another round and Siômo aimed his pistol at the dinosaurs. They were all taken off guard however when they heard the sound of a loud roar not too far from them.

"Oh fuck… I'd recognize that roar anywhere." the Sleg murmured with wide eyes as he pumped his shotgun three more times, loading a shotgun shell in each barrel within the weapons; which would result in each of the four barrels being fired at once the next time the trigger was pulled.

All of a sudden, a very large dinosaur broke out of the trees and onto the path. This creature was none other than a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This beast stood much taller than them and its hunger filled eyes were yellow with black slits. It had dark tan scales covering its body with dark green feathers on the top of its head, and down its back and tail.

"By the Great Spirit! What is that creature!?" Siômo shouted with wide eyes as he and his Sleg ally took a step back.

Before Reptantis could answer, the Utahraptors leapt at the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Many of the raptors landed on its back and dug the sickle-like claws on their feet into the larger dinosaur's back, causing it to roar in pain.

"We need to flee while they're distracted." Reptantis practically shouted as he tugged on the human's shoulder.

Siômo nodded and ran with the Sleg away from the path and into the jungle. As they ran, the large dinosaur craned its neck around, bit into one of the Utahraptors, and roughly threw it to the ground.

The two companions didn't bother to see the outcome of that battle because they wanted to focus on survival. They kept running until the sounds of fighting couldn't be heard anymore. They slowed down to a stop and panted as they looked at one another.

"I hate being out in the jungle." the Sleg grumbled as he sat down on a tree stump.

"I prefer the outdoors, but this place is much more dangerous than I prefer." the Skræling agreed as he looked around the area. "And I like the cold temperatures of my home more than the heat of this place." he added as he wiped some sweat off his face.

He spotted what looked like a broken crate not too far from where they stopped and he walked over to it. Reptantis watched with interest as his ally dragged the box over to the stump and sat down on a log next to the stump he was sitting on.

"What's in it?" the reptilian man questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I do not know yet." Siômo replied as he tore open the box and reached his hands inside.

The native took out various objects and placed them on the box's lid that was by his feet. Siômo took out pistol clips, a few boxes of shotgun shells, a scope with a few metal attachments connected to it, and a few small, metal pyramids.

"I recognize the magazines, but what are the other things?" the Skræling questioned as he and the Sleg grabbed the ammunition and placed them in their pouches.

"Let me see your pistol for a second." the Sleg requested as he held out his three fingered hand.

Siômo complied and gave him the gun. Reptantis grabbed the scope with the metal attachments and slid it onto the pistol. He expertly secured the various metal parts onto the left side of the gun, including the scope. Right now, the pistol looked mostly as it was before, except the scope and metal parts were now on the right side of the weapon and out of the way.

"See the button next to where your thumb is?" the Sleg as he showed his human companion the small button where his right thumb is.

Siômo nodded in confirmation and watched as Reptantis pressed the button with his thumb. All of a sudden, the scope rotated at a ninety degree angle so that it was now resting where the iron sites were. One of the two metal parts on the side of the gun slid outward and attached itself to the pistol's nozzle, creating a longer barrel. The second metal piece slide out the other end of the gun, creating a stock.

"This pistol doubles as a sniper rifle. You can shoot targets from miles away by looking through this scope." Reptantis explained as he handed the pistol-turned-sniper rifle to Siômo.

The bearded native gently took the rifle and slowly looked through the scope. He was amazed when he saw that he could see things from a farther distance while looking through the glass.

"These weapons are unbelievable." the Skræling commented as he lowered the weapon and pressed the button on the side of the grip, making the scope and metal appendages fold onto the side of the pistol.

"If you like that, then look at these." Reptantis replied with a smirk as he picked up the metal pyramids. "These are prototype arrowheads that the humans are developing. Attach one of these to an arrow and shoot it, and then ka-boom. I think you'll like this one." he explained.

"Ka-boom? What does that even mean?" Siômo asked with a raised eyebrow as he took out a few of his arrows and replaced the stone arrowheads with the metal explosives.

"You'll see once you fire the arrows. Just make sure that you're standing quite a distance away." the Sleg warned with a slight chuckle.

The Skræling simply nodded to this and they both stood up once they were ready to go. The Sleg commander grabbed his shotgun while the human carried his bow in his left hand.

"Let's go find your brother." Reptantis suggested as he pumped his shotgun a few times so that four shotgun shells would be fired at once the next time he squeezed the trigger.

"Yes… lets." Siômo agreed as he grabbed an explosive arrow and rested it on the bowstring.

The duo then began to walk once more, going deeper into the jungle and towards where the Sleg camp.

* * *

In a different section of the dense jungles, a Sleg airship could be seen flying through the air. Within this ship, the squad of Dinosoids who found Awehsohs was sitting in their designated seats. They were traveling to the closest base to see what to do with the strange human.

The cybernetic reptilian humanoids spoke to one another about various topics as Awehsohs sat quietly in his seat and looked at the floor. He felt one of them tap his shoulder and he looked to his left to see the one sitting to his left was looking down at him.

"Why is your skin darker than that of other humans that I've seen?" the Dinosoid asked with honest curiosity.

"I… it's because my mother and our people have dark skin…" the young Skræling answered quietly, but all of the soldiers were listening to what he had to say.

"Light skin, dark skin; it does not really matter what color humans are. They're fun to kill either way." one of the Dinosoids across from him commented with a dark chuckle.

Awehsohs shivered in fear from the threatening words and he looked back down at the floor. The soldiers just laughed at him as he buried his face in his hands and closed his eyes, wishing that he could be away from the Dinosoids.

They all stopped laughing when there was a slight bump and the engines turned off. All the soldiers stood up at once and the Dinosoid to Awehsohs' right pulled him up to his feet. The ramp lowered onto the ground so they could leave and the soldiers walked out two at a time.

The one who forced Awehsohs to stand up led him out of the airship and they were in a very different place. The place looked more like a fortress than a camp. Tall walls surrounded the whole camp and the jungle trees could be seen over the thick walls. There were various buildings around the area that were made of metal.

There were Slegs patrolling the area and some were practicing their shootings skills at a gun range. Strange vehicles were parked in different places around the camp as well. Awehsohs had no idea what those machines were, but they were very similar to tanks, except these ones traveled on wheels rather than treads.

"Follow me, human." the Dinosoid that forced him out of the ship ordered before he started walking towards one of the larger buildings.

Obediently, Awehsohs walked close behind the intimidating cyborg and they entered the building together. They found themselves in an open spaced room with various Slegs speaking to one another. The native child looked around the strange environment with curious eyes. He's never been in a building like this before. He was used to wooden longhouses that his people used.

The Dinosoid ignored the other soldiers and led the nine year old further into the building and into a hallway. They continued walking until they reached a metal door on the left and the cybernetic lizard looked at the child.

"Keep your mouth shut and do whatever you're told to do." he instructed before he placed his hand on some sort of scanner next to the door.

Awehsohs nodded slightly as a beep was heard and the door slid to the side, allowing them to enter the room within. They entered an office with a large desk on the other end and documents were scattered all over it. Sitting down at the desk, was a Sleg who was much larger than the previous ones.

This type of Sleg was very hulkish in appearance with bulging muscles. This variant had to have been at least ten feet in height. His scales were gray and the armor he was wearing was red and black.

"Why did you bring a human to my office?" the large Sleg demanded as he glared at Awehsohs and looked him over.

"Sir, we found this human out in the jungle. This is what fell from the sky." the Dinosoid explained as he roughly pushed the child forward so the large Sleg could get a good look at him.

The hulkish soldier walked right up to Awehsohs and looked at him very carefully. Not wanting to look at the intimidating creature, the young native looked down and held back a whimper.

"So… Lord Dominus was right all this time. I was expecting the Son of Stone to arrive at an… earlier stage of life. Or maybe…" the large Sleg looked up at the Dinosoid. "Were there any other humans like this one?" he questioned seriously.

"No, but two objects fell from the sky. Commander Reptantis and his squad went to investigate the other." the reptilian cyborg answered.

"Hm… leave us." the Sleg ordered sternly.

The Dinosoid was a little surprised by this order, but he did as told and left without another word. Once he was gone, the hulkish Sleg sat back down in his seat and motioned towards the chair in front of his desk, wanting his guest to sit. Awehsohs noticed this and hesitantly sat down in the chair.

"Human, it seems that you or whoever else fell from the sky is the Son of Stone. If it turns out that you are the Son of Stone, than I am authorized to kill you now. If you're not… then you could be very useful to the Sleg army and Lord Dominus." he explained as he rested his large hands on his desk.

"I do not know what you are talking about…" the child said quietly with a confused and fearful expression, making his captor chuckle.

"You will in time. For now… let's learn more about each other. I am General Pugnator. What is your name?" the hulkish Sleg introduced and questioned.

"…Awehsohs." the young native answered quietly as he looked away.

"Look at me when I speak to you. Show respect towards your betters." the General scolded with a frown.

"I… I'm sorry."Awehsohs apologized shakily as he slowly looked up at the Sleg.

"That's better. Now… how old are you, Awehsohs?" General Pugnator questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I-I'm nine years old." the young child answered while he shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Nine years old. This probably isn't the ideal situation for a nine year old to be in. Then again, the possibility that you are the Son of Stone forces me to keep a close eye on you." the hulkish Sleg commented casually.

"What is the Son of Stone…?" the young native couldn't help, but ask.

The general sighed heavily from this and stood up. He slowly walked around the table, leaned forward so he was practically hovering over the boy, and rested his muscular hand on the desk.

"I'm probably not the best person to explain this, but the Son of Stone is a human of legend. I don't know too much about it, but they say that a human with dark skin shall fall from the sky and 'protect' the worthless humans of this world." General Pugnator explained as his reptilian yellow eyes stared at the Skræling.

Awehsohs was actually very interested in this story. He always liked stories of heroes like that, but this was a story that he now was taking part of.

"Do you know who the other person who fell from the sky is?" the muscular Sleg asked all of a sudden, breaking the child's train of thought.

"…No." the young native answered as his eyes began to drift away a little,

"I know that you aren't being truthful with me. If you lie again, I will be forced to hurt you." General Pugnator warned as he barred his sharp teeth slightly.

The child felt a cold shill from the threat and he visibly shivered. He slowly looked back up as the Sleg with his green eyes.

"My brother was probably the other person to fall from the sky… Siômo." Awehsohs answered truthfully. "And when he finds out that you are keeping me here like this… he will kill you." He added, wanting to look strong.

The large Sleg actually laughed loudly at this, confusing the child. Once he had calmed down, he slowly leaned forward so his and the native's faces were almost touching.

"I would like to see him try." General Pugnator replied darkly with a sadistic grin.


	8. Deeper into the Jungle

**Kwai kwai everyone! I have to say, I feel bad for Awehsohs because of the position he's in. I can't imagine that being held prisoner by a bunch of blood thirsty reptile soldiers would be a fun experience. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 8: Deeper into the Jungle

Awehsohs was sitting quietly in General Pugnator's office. The large Sleg had been doing paperwork since he got there and the young native felt more bored than frightened at this point.

The young child looked out the window and watched as the Dinosoids who found him reentered the ship that brought them to the camp. The ship slowly raised into the air before it flew away in a seemingly random direction. He didn't know where they were going, but he didn't really care because they weren't too nice to him.

General Pugnator finished up with his paperwork and looked at the nine year old sitting across from him. He held no sympathy for the child and if it was up to him, he would've killed Awehsohs by now. But he was a soldier with orders and he needed to carry out these orders.

"Okay, human… I know what I'm going to do with you." the large Sleg spoke up, gaining the native's attention. "You will stay here for a few days so that our leader, Lord Dominus, can be informed of your existence. Once we receive confirmation that he knows about you, you will be sent to him to be tested if you really are the Son of Stone or not." he explained emotionlessly.

Awehsohs didn't reply and looked down. He prayed to both the Skræling Spirits and the Norse Gods that he'd be safe. He heard a growl all of a sudden and looked up at the general.

"I told you to look at me when I talk to you." Pugnator spat with a toothy frown.

"I'm sorry…" Awehsohs apologized quietly as he lowered himself in his seat a little and looked back up at the intimidating soldier.

The muscular Sleg simply snorted at him and stood up. The young native tensed from this and watched as the general slowly walked around the table and grabbed him by the wrist. Awehsohs gasped in surprise as he was forced to his feet and was pulled out of the room.

"W-where are you taking me?" the nine year old asked shakily as he started to get scared again.

"To a cell for special prisoners." the large Sleg answered as he pulled the boy down the hallway and into a large elevator that could hold a dozen Slegs his size.

General Pugnator firmly placed his free hand on the nearby scanner and the elevator began to descend into the building's lower section. Awehsohs was terrified by the unfamiliar machine that they were on and he didn't even notice as eh scooted closer to his captor for protection. The muscular Sleg rolled his eyes at this, but said nothing.

Once the elevator stopped at the bottom floor, the double doors slid open and the general pulled the child out. They found themselves in a large room with Slegs of various colors and sizes patrolling the room. There were also various doors that had no windows or anything.

General Pugnator led the boy over to one of the doors and nodded to the guard standing next near the scanners. The soldier nodded back before he pressed one of his hands on the scanner, opening the door. Once the door was fully open, the general pushed the young native into the room, making him fall to the cold floor.

"I'll be back for you tomorrow morning. Enjoy your stay, whelp." the general said with a sadistic laugh before the door slid shut, blocking out much of the light.

Awehsohs let out a fearfully whimper as he looked around the dark room. He could barely see through the darkness, but he was able to faintly see a mattress on the floor and a bucket not too far from it. He crawled over to the bucket, but instantly regretted it when the smell of body waste swarmed his senses. He pinched his nose as he moved away from the bucket coughed.

"That smells horrible…" the young Skræling thought aloud between coughs as he made his way to the mattress on the floor.

The nine year old lay down on the mattress and curled himself into a ball. He didn't like being in this place and he just wanted to be with his people again.

'Odin, Thor, Forseti, the Great Spirit, Mother Earth, Father Sky… please help me.' Awehsohs prayed before he closed his eyes and sleep slowly overtook him.

* * *

Within the thick jungles of the Lost Land, a single deer could be seen eating some grass next to a small pond. The tropical birds sang their songs and tree frogs chirped. The deer raise its head all of a sudden and its ears perked up, as if sensing danger.

An echoing gunshot was heard all of a sudden and the deer fell to the ground with a bullet hole in the side of its head. Quite a distance away, Siômo could be seen pointing his sniper rifle at the dead deer's direction and the nozzle of the gun was smoking. Reptantis was standing next to him and he was lazily holding his shotgun in one hand.

"Good shot, Siômo. I've seen recruits do worse." the Sleg praised as he squinted his eyes to see the kill.

"Thank you. We should probably get the meat before any predators show up." the native suggested as he activated the first firing mode and the pistol/sniper rifle's metal stock and barrel folded onto the side.

Reptantis nodded and they ran over to the hunted animal. Once they reached the corpse, Siômo bent down to one knee next to the animal. He mentally cursed when he realized that he didn't have a knife on him, but he noticed his companion take out a combat knife and held it out for him.

The Skræling nodded in thanks before he carefully grabbed the knife and began to cut into the animal. Reptantis watched with interest as his native ally quickly took out the edible meat and even some of the organs.

"Why are you getting the bones and organs too?" the Sleg asked as his eyes looked away from the corpse and scanned the surrounding area, looking out for dangers.

"My people and I use every part of the hunted animal; we waste nothing. I would take the whole deer with us, but we are rather short on time at the moment." Siômo replied as he took as many bones and other parts he could.

The two companions tensed when they heard scampering footsteps approaching them. They quickly moved away from the corpse and saw a bunch of foot tall dinosaurs leap out of the bushes and they started eating the leftovers. These creatures looked like small raptors with dark green scales with light gray feathers on their arms and heads.

"Compies." Reptantis whispered to Siômo as they pointed their weapons at the animals and slowly stepped away. "They're more dangerous than they look. We should leave before they notice us." he added quietly.

Once they felt like they were at a safe enough distance, they lowered their weapons and continued their walk. The sun was starting to set at this point and they sky was a shade of orange.

They made sure to stay quiet as they walked because dangerous predators usually came out at night. Once the sun was just barely over the horizon, the duo spotted a large wall ahead with barbed wire at the top of it. There were also watch towers on the other side of the walls and spotlights could be seen scanning the area.

"Is this the camp you were telling me about?" the native asked curiously as they bent down in the bushes to minimize the possibility of being spotted.

"Yes. Awehsohs should be somewhere in there, but those towers have soldiers in them. If you're caught in the light, everyone in the camp will know that you're here." Reptantis explained as he pointed at one of the watchtowers.

"What about you?" Siômo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm a Sleg soldier. It won't matter if they see me or not." the Sleg commander answered as if it was obvious. "I'm going to go in there the usual way and do my best to get the patrols not to look in your general direction and draw them away from you." he explained as he stared out at the watchtowers.

"Alright, but we should wait until it is darker out before we make our move." the native replied as he sat down on the ground and got comfortable.

"Good idea." Reptantis replied and he sat down next to him.

* * *

The sky was now black over the jungle with the stars and moon providing sources of light. Siômo and Reptantis were still sitting in the bushes and watching the camp. Finally, the native spoke up.

"Why are you helping me?" he finally asked as he turned to face the Sleg.

"My reasons are my own." his companion replied emotionlessly as he stood up. "We should get moving." he suggested.

The Skræling sighed from this, but got up as well. They both looked around the camp to see how Siômo would get in without being detected.

"Perhaps I could climb a tree and jump over the wall." the bearded native suggested as he pointed at one of the many tall trees outside of the camp's walls.

"No, too risky. You might get spotted by the spotlights or touch the barbed wire when you jump." Reptantis replied as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Actually, on second thought… perhaps you could take out a spotter at one of the watchtowers, climb a tree, and jump onto the watchtower." he thought aloud.

"I can do that. You go inside and keep them away from me." the Skræling told the Sleg as he took out a normal arrow and notched his bow.

Reptantis nodded and rushed to the large door that would lead into the camp. Siômo didn't pay attention however and aimed his bow at a sniper positioned at one of the guard towers. He took a deep breath before releasing the bowstring and the arrow pierced the enemy Sleg's head, killing it instantly.

Once he confirmed that the enemy was dead, he placed his bow on his back and rushed to the tree that was closest to the watchtower. He hasn't' climbed a tree since he was a teenager, but he remembered how to do it and slowly climbed up the trunk and branches.

Once the native reached the farthest up he could climb, he looked at the watchtower to see that the light just pass over the bush he and Reptantis were hiding in earlier. He was glad that they chose to act now and he looked at the watchtower itself. With a deep breath, he leapt onto the small platform that the sniper was standing on and he landed right next to the corpse.

'No problems so far, this is good.' Siômo thought to himself as he stood up and looked at the camp.

He marveled at the metal buildings and vehicles all over the place. He had no idea that such ingenuity even existed. There were patrols everywhere and this made him tense up. Something told him that this wasn't going to be easy in the slightest.

The Skræling relaxed a little when he noticed Reptantis enter the camp and he was now walking amongst the other Slegs. He noticed that his companion was walking casually towards the southern side of the camp.

'I think he is leading me to Awehsohs.' the bearded native thought to himself as he walked over to the watchtower's ladder and started to climb down.

Once he reached the ground, he bent down to make it a little more difficult to be spotted. He noticed that there were paths made out of concrete that were meant for walking on, but there also a lot of spaces with grass and bushes between the buildings and paths. He made sure to stay on the grass and out of the light to avoid being spotted.

Siômo took out his double bladed tomahawk just in case and slowly followed Reptantis. There were a few moments where he had to rush to cover to avoid being spotted by the searchlights, but he otherwise kept up with his ally.

As he followed the Sleg, he noticed that they were approaching a large, intimidating building with what looked like curved spikes jutting out of the ground here and there. The amount of patrols increased as they got closer and closer to this building and the native had to stop and hide in some bushes because of the vast amount of soldiers wandering around.

'I need to find another way in.' the Abenaki said in his head as he watched Reptantis enter the large building.

His eyes traveled from the large structure that he was trying to enter, to the building next to him. Wondering if there was anything useful inside, he slowly approached the door and it slid open by itself. This surprised him and he flinched when it opened.

Shaking off his mild shock, he quickly entered the building before anyone could see him. He could tell that the building he was in held animals because of the scent of waste and urine. He looked around the room he was in to see a lone guard sitting in a chair behind the counter and the Sleg was reading a book, obviously not paying attention to his surroundings.

Siômo panicked when he saw the lone Sleg and tossed his tomahawk at the occupied guard. The native weapon spun around in the air before one of the blades buried itself in the Sleg's head, killing it instantly.

As the Sleg went limp on the chair and dropped its book, the Skræling rushed over to it and pulled his tomahawk out of its head. He heard footsteps in the next room, so he grabbed the dead body and quietly laid it down on the floor behind the counter. He then hid behind the counter himself with his tomahawk at the ready.

"What was that noise?" the native heard a guttural voice speak behind the door before it slid open.

The footsteps entered the room Siômo was in and he listened carefully. He could tell that only one other person was in the room in him, but that only made him feel a little better. He tensed when the footsteps approached his positions and his knuckles turned white as he tightly held his tomahawk.

"That lazy bastard never does his job." the guttural voice spoke with a sigh before the footsteps moved away from his position.

The native peeked over the counter to see a hulkish Sleg wearing black armor and holding a gatling gun standing in the middle of the room with its back to him. Siômo was amazed at this Sleg's size and muscular build. There was no way that he could fight this guy without everyone in the camp hearing them.

'Perhaps I can sneak around him.' The Skræling thought to himself as he looked at the door where the Sleg came from.

He noticed the large Sleg start to move again, so he ducked his head under the counter. He was surprised that the patrol didn't smell the dead body, but something told him that this building was no stranger to death.

The footsteps moved over to the exit and he heard the door slide open. Once it shut, the lone native peaked out of cover again to see that he was alone. He fully stood up at this point and walked over to the other door where the Sleg came from.

Siômo flinched when the door slid open by itself, but he was even more surprised to see dozens of cages in the large room. Each of the cages held a single Deinonychus in each one. The animals stared back at him with hunger in their reptilian eyes.

'Why are they keeping these creatures in cages? Are they domesticating them?' the native asked in his head as he slowly walked into the room and the door closed behind him.

Doing his best to ignore the intimidating dinosaurs, Siômo looked to his left to see a desk with an ammunition box on it. He wondered what was inside it, so he walked over to the box and opened it. The box was full of small syringes with a bright green liquid in them.

The Skræling had no idea what the syringes were, but he grabbed a handful of them and carefully placed them in one of his pouches. Once he felt like he had enough, he looked over the room to see a lever on the wall. There was also a sign next to it that read "caution."

Siômo didn't know how to read however, but he had a good hunch what would happen if he pulled that lever. He got an idea at that moment and walked back over to the door. It opened by itself when he got close enough and he saw that the hulking Sleg had returned. He hid behind the doorframe and heard the heavy footsteps approaching his position.

"Why did the door open without anyone near it?" the Sleg asked itself as it walked into the room without noticing the hiding native.

The hulkish Sleg walked over to one of the cages and grinned at the trapped animal. While the soldier was distracted, the bearded native slowly and quietly made his way over to the switch. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead because he knew that what he was about to do was extremely risky.

Siômo waited a few moments before his hand gripped the lever and he pulled it down. All of a sudden, the cages' doors slid open and the raptors quickly ran out of their prisons. The large Sleg noticed the intruder's presence at this point, but he was more focused on the raptors at the moment.

The hulkish brute was about to shout for help, but was silenced when a Deinonychus tackled him to the ground and bit into his neck. Before he could be noticed by the animals, the Skræling rushed over to the closest window and jumped out. Luckily, the window was open and he safely landed in some bushes.

"Alert! Alert! Raptor escape in progress! Send all available troops in Containment Building-B!" a Sleg voice boomed on the camp's intercoms.

As soon as the guttural voice finished speaking, the doors to the building Siômo was just in slid open and the raptors sprinted out. Just as he expected, all the Slegs moved away from his destination and towards where the Deinonychus pack were escaping.

Realizing that now was the time to catch up with Reptantis; the lone native got out of the bushes and sprinted towards the large building with the curved spikes jutting out of the ground around it.

All of the spotlights were trained on the raptors, so Siômo didn't have to worry about being seen. Once he reached the door, he looked over his shoulder to see what was happening. The raptors were killing a few soldiers, but a large squad of Slegs with strange tanks on their backs approached the animals. They raise their weapons to fire, but instead of bullets, fire blazed out of the guns and burnt to the dinosaurs alive.

Realizing that he didn't have much time now, Siômo opened the door that led into the large building and ran inside. Once he was in, he slammed the door shut behind him.


	9. The Rescue

**Kwai kwai nidobak! It kinda sucks that I didn't get any reviews in the last chapter, but that won't put me off from righting this. I've been planning out this story for months and I have a lot of plans for this story. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 9: The Rescue

The door to the large building slid shut as Siômo entered. He currently had his bow at the ready with an explosive arrow pulled back on the string. He carefully looked around for enemies, but saw that the large room he was in was empty.

He tensed up when he heard the sound of a gun being cocked and he looked to his right to see Reptantis standing next to him with a pistol aimed at his head.

"Bang, you are dead." the Sleg said jokingly before he holstered his gun and held his shotgun with both of his hands.

"I did not find that amusing." the bearded native replied with a frown as he lowered his bow and eased the tension on the string.

"Okay, I won't do that anymore. Now let's keep going before the patrols finish off the little present you left for them and come back." Reptantis suggested and he nodded towards one of the doors on the other side of the room.

Siômo nodded and he followed his companion towards the door. He had no idea what they'd encounter in this building, but judging Reptantis having his gun at the ready, they weren't exactly going to be sneaking around much anymore.

"Attention, alert status has been canceled and the escaped raptors have been put down. Return to your posts." the Sleg on the loud speakers spoke in the usual guttural voice.

"That was faster than I thought it would be. We should hurry." the native suggested as the metal door they were approaching opened.

The duo quickly walked into the hallway and the door slid shut behind them. There were various doors everywhere and they stopped. The Skræling looked over at his companion to see where they had to go next.

"You're brother should be somewhere in the underground portion of the base, but I don't remember which door leads to the elevator." Reptantis explained with an apologetic expression.

Siômo sighed quietly, but he wasn't mad. They looked around the hallway and walked over to a random door. The Sleg decided to enter first just in case anyone was in there.

There were a few Slegs carrying flamethrowers within the room and they stopped talking to look at the commander. These soldiers were a bit taller than normal Slegs and their scales were dark red.

"Fancy seeing you here, Commander Reptantis. I thought you were in the jungle, looking for the other person who fell from the sky." one of the Arsonists commented as they turned to fully face the scarred Sleg.

"Change of plans. I need to find the prisoner that the Dinosoids brought in." the scarred Sleg stated professionally with a blank expression.

"Change of plans? Are you thick in the head?" one of the Arsonists snarled as it barred its sharp teeth.

"No… are you?" Reptantis asked before he raised his shotgun and squeezed the trigger.

The shotgun fired and the Arsonist's head exploded in a cloud of blood and gore. The others were completely shocked that their ally would turn on them like this, and looked at him with wide eyes. Reptantis quickly pumped his shotgun and shot another one in the head as he took a few steps back.

The enemy Slegs shook off their shock at this point and raised their flamethrowers, but Siômo jumped out of cover at this point and released the arrow he's been holding back on the bow string. The arrow struck one of the Arsonists propane tanks and they all died in a fiery explosion. The only thing that was left of them was various bloodstains on the floor and body parts.

"Alert! Alert! Intruder in the Fortress! Secure all critical areas!" the guttural voice boomed over eth intercoms as an alarm went off.

"I guess sneaking is out of the question now." Reptantis commented as he reloaded his shotgun and his companion grabbed an explosive arrow from his quiver and rested it on the bow string.

They both rushed out of the room to see a squad of Sleg troopers running down the hall, but they stopped when they saw the duo. The enemies opened fire on the group of two and they took cover behind the doorway.

"That was fast!" the Skræling shouted over the gunfire.

Siômo peeked out of cover when the gunfire died down a bit and released the arrow. It flew through the air and the explosive arrowhead pierced through one of the Sleg's chests. As soon as the explosive was lodged in the flesh, it detonated.

There was a large explosion that killed most of the enemies on the spot and the survivors were knocked to the ground. Reptantis rushed out of cover at this point and used his shotgun to finish off the downed enemies. Just when they were about to move on, more Slegs rushed down the hallway, including a hulkish Sleg wielding a gatling gun.

"We may be here for awhile!" Reptantis commented loudly as they hid behind cover again.

* * *

Awehsohs was sleeping at least somewhat peacefully in his cell. He was dreaming about his village and people. Those were times of peace and happiness. As he slept, a small smile came upon his lips.

The young boy was shaken out of his sleep by the piercing sound of the alarms. His eyes shot open and he sat up as the loud noise went on and on without stopping. The door to his cell slid open all of a sudden and General Pugnator stepped inside with two other hulkish Slegs behind him. His guards were each armed with gatling guns and were wearing black armor.

"Get up, human. Quickly!" the general barked angrily.

Awehsohs flinched from the shout and stood up as fast as he could. As soon as he did, one of the guards roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him out of the cell.

"W-what's going on?" the young half-Viking questioned shakily as he they walked out of the prison room and into a room with an elevator that was different than the one they used to bring him there.

"I'm taking you away to Lord Dominus. The Fortress has been breached." General Pugnator explained as they walked onto the elevator.

Awehsohs didn't know what he meant by that exactly, but something told him that his brother was coming to save him. He began praying to the Norse Gods and Skræling Spirits again as the elevator began to move upward at a slow pace.

* * *

Back with Siômo and Reptantis, the duo managed to kill a large portion of the enemy Slegs, but the hulkish one with the gatling gun was giving them a hard time. Siômo had resorted to using his pistol because he didn't want to use up all of his arrows and his companion was still using the shotgun.

The hulkish Sleg rained down bullets in their direction, but the metal walls they were hiding behind were strong enough to take the bullets. Reptantis snarled in frustration because they weren't making any progress, so he took out a metal object that was in the shape of a circular rectangle with a red button in the middle.

"What is that?" the native asked with a raised eyebrow as spikes quickly ejected from the device.

"A grenade." Reptantis answered emotionlessly as he pressed the red button with his thumb.

The scarred Sleg peeked out of cover and threw the explosive at the enemies. The Grenade hit the hulkish Sleg's forearm and it gasped in pain when the spikes dug into its scales and stuck in place.

"No! No! No!" the Sleg screamed before the grenade detonated in a fiery and bloody explosion completely obliterating him and the rest of the Slegs.

Once the hallway was clear of enemies, the duo stepped out of cover and rushed down the hall, ignoring all the blood splatters and bullet holes. They still had no idea where to go, but they guessed that the door at the end of the hall was the best place to go.

When they reached the door, it slid open and they saw a large elevator in the center of the room, but there were some Slegs in the room as well. These Slegs were skinny type with rifles, so the duo easily took care of them with a few accurate shots from their guns.

They rushed onto the elevator and Reptantis placed his three fingered hand on the scanner. The scanner beeped before the elevator they were on began to go down to the prison section of the fortress.

Siômo looked around with amazement as they went down. He was completely amazed that the Slegs were capable of making such structures and machines.

He didn't have long to admire the sights because they reached the prison portion of the fortress. Unfortunately, there were dozens of Sleg soldiers in the room. Thinking quickly, Reptantis rushed towards a table, kicked it to its side, and hid behind it. The Skræling realized that this was their cover and hid behind it too.

"Surrender and we'll make your deaths quick!" one of the soldiers shouted as they all aimed their weapons at the table.

In response to this, Siômo peeked out of cover with his bow drawn and he shot an explosive arrow in the center of the group, killing a large number of them in the explosion. Reptantis quickly moved out of cover and shot the survivors with his shotgun. One of them managed to avoid the attacks and it raised its rifle to shot, but Siômo rushed forward with his double edged tomahawk and buried the blade in the Sleg's head, killing it.

Once all of the enemies were dead, the duo breathed heavily from the adrenaline and looked at one another. They then looked at the prisoner's cells.

"I'll take the cells on the right. You check the left. Open the doors by pressing your hand on the scanners." the scarred Sleg instructed before he moved over to the left side of the room.

Siômo nodded and rushed over to the right side of the room. They checked every cell and freed the human prisoners, but they couldn't find Awehsohs. The prisoners formed up in the center of the room and mumbled about their unexpected saviors while the duo stood away from them and looked at one another.

"Why isn't he here? I don't understand…" Reptantis commented with a very confused tone of voice.

"Um… are you talking about that kid with the tan skin?" one of the prisoners asked awkwardly, gaining their saviors' attention.

"Yes! Where did they take my brother!?" Siômo demanded with a mixture of worry and anger.

"They took him away a few minutes ago. That way." the ex-prisoner answered as he pointed at the open door on the other side of the room.

"Scavenge the corpses for weapons. If you want to escape, then help us get his brother back." The scarred Sleg told them all and the humans did as instructed.

The humans grabbed all the shotguns, rifles, pistols, and ammo as they could. The strongest human in the group even grabbed the gatling gun. Once everyone was armed, they all rushed over to the directed room and saw the elevator descending with a squad of Slegs on it. The enemies weren't expecting the large group waiting for them and they were quickly downed by gunfire.

By the time the elevator reached their floor, all of the Slegs were dead and the group rushed onto the platform. Reptantis placed his three fingered hand on the scanner and the elevator began to ascend upwards.

The former prisoners looked at Siômo and Reptantis with strange looks. They weren't expecting a Sleg and a human who looked so different from them to come to their rescue, but they weren't complaining. They would've been killed or turned into slaves if it wasn't for these two heroes.

When the elevator finally reached the floor above ground and stopped, the now large group rushed out with their weapons pointed ahead. The door on the other side of the room they were in opened and a squad of Arsonists rushed in. The group immediately opened fire however and the propane tanks on the Slegs' backs exploded when they were shot at.

"C'mon! We need to keep moving!" Reptantis shouted as he and Siômo led the former prisoners through the door and into the next room.

The room they entered led to a stairwell and they each ran up the stairs two at a time. There were a few Sleg troops with shotguns running down the stairs, but the group quickly took them out with their own firepower.

The stairs finally ended with a metal door and it slid open once the group was close enough. They all ran through the open doorway to find themselves on the fortress' roof. They all saw a large amount of Sleg Soldiers pointing their weapons at the group and an airship was getting ready to take off.

Siômo's eyes widened when he spotted General Purgatory pushing Awehsohs into the ship. He wanted to rush over there to save his brother, but he knew that they had to take care of the Slegs first.

"Shoot them!" one of the Slegs roared and they all opened fire.

The humans and Reptantis took cover wherever they could and started shooting back. The muzzle flashes form the guns flashed brightly because of the night's darkness and the sounds of gunfire were constantly going off.

Siômo peeked out of cover to see how his brother was doing, but he gasped in horror when he saw the airship's ramp raise on the ship, trapping his brother inside, and it began to fly away.

"NO!" the horrified native screamed as he watched the airship fly off with his brother on board.

"We'll find your brother, Siômo! But we need to get out of here first!" Reptantis shouted over the gunfire before he jumped out of cover and shot one of the skinny Slegs in the head, blowing its brains out.

The Skræling trembled with anger, but nodded in understanding. He peeked out of cover again to see General Purgatory, the Sleg who forced his brother on the airship, was simply watching the battle with his hands behind his back.

'Coward.' Siômo thought to himself as he reached into one of his leather pouches and took out three syringes that he looted from the raptor building.

"Where did you get those!?" one of the former prisoners asked loudly when she noticed the glowing green needles.

"I will explain later!" the half-Viking answered as he took out an arrow and took off the stone arrowhead.

He used a strip of leather rawhide to tie the three needles to the arrow in a sort of arrowhead. There was no telling what the strange needles would do, but he was willing to find out by using it against the one who took his brother away.

Quickly, Siômo took out his wooden bow and notched it with the needled arrow. He then jumped out of cover and took aim. With a deep breath, he released the bow string and the needled arrow flew through the air.

General Pugnator winced when he felt a piercing pain in his stomach and he looked down to see an arrow lodged into him. He let out a light chuckle because his breed of Sleg could take a lot of punishment. He was about to pull out the arrow when he felt a strange feeling rush through his veins. All of a sudden, he felt woozy and he let out some choking noises.

The hulkish Sleg in red and black armor fell to his hands and knees as he choked. He opened his mouth and vomited on the spot, covering the ground in front of him with his bile. He shakily looked up to find the archer and spotted Siômo staring straight at him with hate in his dark brown eyes.

"H-he's the Son of… of… GAH!" General Pugnator tried to whisper to himself, but he gasped loudly and fell to the ground and died on in his own vomit.

Once the general was dead, Siômo hid behind cover again and looked into his pouch that was full of the syringes. He figured that they were filled with some kind of poisonous liquid and they were meant to be used on the raptors in case they escaped. He made a mental note to tie them to some of his arrows later.

The fighting on the roof went on and two of the escaped prisoners were killed. There seemed to be an infinite wave of Slegs however and the group was starting to run low on ammunition. Reptantis realized this and looked around the camp. His eyes stopped when he saw the jeeps and he nudged Siômo on the shoulder and pointed at the vehicles.

"I know how to drive those! We need to get over there as fast as we can!" the scarred Sleg shouted, gaining the humans' attention.

"There's a ladder over there! We can use it to get down there!" one of the former prisoners suggested.

Everyone nodded and Reptantis took out a grenade. The spikes ejected out of it and he threw it at the enemy Slegs. Once it exploded and the gunfire died down a bit, the group rushed over to the ladder and the each slid down it one at a time. Unfortunately, one of the former prisoners was shot and killed in the process, but the rest of them safely made it to the ground.

Once the survivors were all down, they sprinted over to the jeeps and did their best to avoid the gunfire. Siômo whipped around all of a sudden and released an explosive arrow at the Slegs on the roof, killing a dozen of them and forcing the rest to take cover.

Once the group reached the jeeps, which were dark brown and sported turrets, Reptantis got in the driver's seat and Siômo awkwardly got in the passenger's seat. Two of the escaped prisoners sat in the back seats while a third one manned the gun. The rest of the humans got into another jeep and started it up.

Reptantis turned the key in the ignition and the vehicle revved to life. He then drove the jeep away from the gunfire and led the other jeep towards the exit. One of the hulkish Slegs on the roof was carrying a large rocket launcher that it held from the hip and it squeezed the trigger.

"OH SHIT!" one of the humans screamed as they swerved to try to dodge the rocket.

Reptantis was able to successfully avoid the missile, but the other jeep was hit and blew up in a fiery explosion. The remaining humans looked at the destruction with horrified eyes before the one manning the turret aimed at the hulkish Sleg and opened fire. The high caliber bullets pierced through the muscular Sleg with ease and many of its limbs feel off from all the bullets hitting him.

Reptantis focused solely on driving and they began to approach the door that would lead them to freedom. The door was shut however, but he showed no signs of slowing down. The human at the turret realized the Sleg's plan and started shooting at the door to weaken it.

"Everyone hold on!" Siômo screamed and they all braced for impact.

The military jeep smashed through the large, weakened door and into the jungle. Gunfire whizzed past them as Reptantis drove away and the human manning the turret shot the enemies.

Once they were far away enough and the gunfire finally stopped, the former prisoners cheered for their escape. Even Reptantis held a small smirk for rescuing the humans. The only one who was upset was Siômo. He looked out at the night sky, wondering where Awehsohs was. The scarred Sleg noticed this and rested a scaled hand on the Skræling's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Siômo. I promise you that we'll find him." Reptantis assured as he drove through the dark jungle.

Siômo nodded lightly and looked up at the sky again. He just hoped that his brother would be okay. He became lost in thought as the other humans celebrated their minor victory.


	10. To the Highlands

**Kwai kwai everyone! As you can all probably tell, a lot of important stuff happened in the last chapter. I should let you know that many of the actions that Siômo and Reptantis make will not be forgotten by neither the humans nor the Slegs. They will build a reputation throughout the story and you'll get to see what happens due to their actions in later chapters. That's enough of my rambling, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 10: To the Highlands

It was a quiet night out in the jungles of the Lost Land. The night animals performed their nocturnal activities while the stars sparkled in the dark sky. For the most part, the jungles were quiet.

The silence was broken as a jeep drove down a dirt road that was most likely used by the animals. The jeep contained the escaped prisoners, Siômo in the passenger's seat, and Reptantis driving the vehicle. They currently had no real destination; they were just trying to get as far away from the Sleg camp as possible.

Everyone was quiet in the jeep because no one could think of anything to say. Yes, they were safe and managed to escape the Sleg base, but over half of the prisoners were killed and Awehsohs was taken away before they could rescue him. Finally, the girl in the backseat spoke up.

"I don't really trust Slegs… and I've never seen a human like you before… but thank you for rescuing us. Both of you, thank you." she said gratefully, making it obvious how much she appreciated their help.

"No problem." Reptantis replied tiredly as he drove.

"Sorry we couldn't save your brother." the former prisoner sitting next to the woman who spoke said. "I'm sure he's okay." he added, wanting to give his savior some hope.

"You know, if anyone knows where your brother was taken, Tar Keen probably does." the human manning the jeep's turret commented as he scanned the jungle for dangers.

"He probably does, but no one ever goes to speak with TarKeen." the woman replied as she shook her head.

"Who is TarKeen?" Siômo finally asked, having no idea what any of them were talking about.

"You've never heard of TarKeen?" the girl in the backseat asked with wide eyes and the other ex-prisoners stared at the native with shocked expressions.

"I know you're not from here, but… wow…" the Sleg commented as he too looked at his companion with a strange expression.

"Would you please just answer my question?" the Skræling snapped irritably.

"TarKeen is a powerful seer who lives in the highlands. He's arguably the most powerful magic user in all of the Lost Land. No one knows much about him, but legend has it that he's waiting for the Son of Stone." the human manning the turret explained as Reptantis slowed the jeep to a stop.

"And what is the Son of Stone?" Siômo questioned with a sigh, finding it frustrating that he didn't know any of these important details.

"Wow, you really aren't from around here." the human male sitting next to the girl spoke up.

"The Son of Stone is a warrior from another world that brings a balance of war and peace in the Lost Land. The only description known about this warrior is that he has tan skin… kinda like yours." Reptantis informed his native friend.

"Skin color does not determine if one is a warrior or not." Siômo stated as he looked away at the jungle.

"Maybe so, but you're a warrior all the same." the girl in the back started. "I think you should go see TarKeen and see if he can help you find your brother." she suggested, trying to be helpful.

"Where can I find this… TarKeen?" the bearded native questioned with a determined expression.

She responded by pointing at the mountains in the distance that they could faintly see through the thick trees.

"TarKeen lives in a temple on the top of the highlands. You can't really get there with a vehicle because all of the paths leading there can only be traversed on foot." the female human explained.

Siômo nodded before he opened the passenger seat door and got out of the jeep. He closed the door once he was out of the vehicle and was about to walk off, but he stopped when he heard another car door shut. He looked over his shoulder to see Reptantis out of the vehicle and the human girl crawled up to the driving seat.

"I'm going with you, Siômo. There's nothing you can say to dissuade me." the Sleg stated sternly.

The Skræling raised an eyebrow at this, but he didn't argue. Reptantis walked around the vehicle until the two companions were side by side.

"Good luck in the highlands. We'll put in a good word for ya when we get back to the city of Galyana." the human manning the jeep's turret told the duo before the ex-prisoners drove off, leaving the two travelers.

Once the former prisoners were out of site, the two companions turned around and walked into the jungle. The first thing they had to do was find a safe place to camp. They walked together through the thick foliage until they found a tall tree that they could both climb.

Reptantis was the first one to climb the tree and Siômo was soon after. They climbed at a slow pace because it was hard to see and they didn't want to risk falling to attract predators. Once they were up the tree as high as they could go, they rested on a particularly large tree branch and got as comfortable as they could.

"So… how was your first day in the Lost Land?" the Sleg asked sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood.

"I do not wish to talk about it." the upset native replied as he turned so his back was facing his companion and he closed his eyes to sleep.

Reptantis sighed quietly and looked up at their new destination. He figured that if they left early in the morning, then they could reach TarKeen about halfway through the day. His reptilian yellow eyes then looked up at the stars. Realization donned on him, he would most likely be seen as an enemy to the Sleg army and he would be shot on sight. It didn't matter to him though, he had his reasons for helping Siômo and he promised himself that he wouldn't stop helping the human until Awehsohs was safe.

With that in mind, the Sleg closed his eyes and fell asleep within moments. The two men's soft snores were the only sounds to be heard in the trees, discluding the crickets' songs.

* * *

Awehsohs was trembling in fear in his seat as the airship he was in flew over the jungle. The Slegs who were guarding him were average foot soldiers; some skinny and some muscular. Unlike the Dinosoids, none of them talked to the child and they were mainly quiet throughout the whole trip.

The young Skræling was worried about both himself and his brother. He saw Siômo fighting the Slegs before they were separated once more and he prayed to the Spirits and Gods that his brother was okay. He also worried for his own safety.

General Pugnator told him that he was going to be sent to Lord Dominus, but he had no idea who Lord Dominus even was. Yes, this particular person was in charge of the Slegs, that much was clear, but other than that, the child knew nothing of the person he was being sent to.

'Why is this happening to me? I never did anything bad to these things. What is going to happen to me once I see Lord Dominus?" the young child thought to himself with a fearful expression.

Many possible scenarios went through his young mind as he thought about this. Most of them involved the Sleg leader killing or brutally hurting him. None of the possibilities were very appealing and he felt more and more distressed with each passing moment.

Awehsohs took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down and looked at the leather shoes covering his feet. Thinking about these things wouldn't do him any good. He was being taken to Lord Dominus and there was nothing he could do about it.

'Ngadgom nsaosani. (I'm sleepy.)' he thought to himself with a tired yawn.

Sighing again, the native child did his best to get comfortable in the cramped seat and closed his eyes to sleep. Something told him that it would take awhile before they reached Dominus. He knew that no matter what however, Siômo would do his best to rescue him. With that in mind, Awehsohs fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

In the next morning within the jungles, Reptantis' reptilian eyes slowly opened due to the sun's light shining over his eyelids. He groaned as he rested his hand over the upper portion of his face to block out the light and he slowly sat up.

Once the Sleg's eyes adjusted to the morning light, he looked around to see that Siômo was already awake and was using some wood from the tree branches to carve more arrows. He watched his native ally do this with interest. His race never used bows, so he found the weapon to be very interesting.

As far as he and the other Slegs knew, bows could be just as powerful as a sniper rifle, yet silent as a light breeze. The weapon was perfect for stealth, and he found it amazing that humans such as Siômo took advantage of such perks. Although, it seemed that the Skræling used the bow more than guns, which even other humans didn't do.

Finally, Siômo noticed that Reptantis was awake and looked up from what he was doing. They both looked at one another for a few short moments before the native spoke up.

"I see that you are awake. Are you ready to head out?" he asked as he placed his new arrows in his leather quiver.

"Yeah, let's go." the Sleg replied before he began to climb down the large tree.

Siômo commenced climbing down shortly after and they quickly reached the jungle floor. Once they both touched ground, they looked towards the mountains and started walking. Luckily, they were exiting Deinonychus territory, so they wouldn't have to worry about the raptors for a long while.

The two companions walked without stopping for a few hours and only stopped once to pick some edible berries from a bush. They ate their breakfast as they walked and didn't run into any major problems. The most trouble they ran into was a few stray Compies, but those were easily taken care of with Siômo's Viking sword and Reptantis' combat knife.

Other than the small dinosaurs, the path was relatively safe. The path began to lead up the mountain and after a few hours, they could see over the jungle's trees. They made it about halfway up the highlands when something happened.

A snap of a twig was heard ahead of them and a low toned growl was heard. The duo stopped in their tracks and unsheathed their melee weapons.

"What was that?" Siômo questioned quietly, expecting the Sleg to at least have an idea what the predator was.

"I don't know. I've never been in the highlands before." Reptantis answered as his reptilian eyes scanned the path ahead for dangers.

All of a sudden, a large cat jumped out of the bushes with its claws outstretched. Acting on instinct, the Skræling leaned back and threw his double edged tomahawk at the new animal. The weapon twirled through the air until one side of the blade pierced through the cat's skull and it fell to the ground.

Now that the cat was dead, they could see the details on it. The large cat's fur was tannish orange in color with black stripes on the back and sides. Its underbelly had white fur and it had a short tail. The eyes were black and beady, and two long tusk-like teeth protruded from its mouth.

"It's a Saber-Toothed Tiger. Damn, I didn't know they lived here." Reptantis informed with a frown as Siômo pulled his tomahawk out of the large cat.

As if on cue, more than a dozen of the large cats jumped out of the foliage and snarled at them. The Sleg quickly put away his knife and took out his shotgun before shooting one of them. The Saber-Toothed Tiger that was shot fell to the ground with its head blown clean off from the powerful shot.

"Keep them at a distance! I will kill any that get close!" Siômo shouted as he twirled the sword and tomahawk in his hands.

Reptantis pumped his shotgun and nodded before he shot a charging cat in the chest, killing it instantly. As he pumped his weapon again, another cat attempted to swipe its paw at him, but the Skræling stabbed its side with his father's sword and chopped at its neck with his tomahawk.

The Sleg gratefully nodded in thanks before he shot another charging Saber-Toothed Tiger in the head. Siômo used his superior melee combat skills to slice and chop every hostile animal that got close, but it became more and more difficult as the rest of the hunting group jumped out of the bushes.

The duo ended up taking several steps back as they fought off the cats. They bumped into the side of the mountain as they backed up, but Reptantis noticed that there was a ladder leading upwards. Siômo noticed it too and looked at his ally.

"Go up first! I'll be right behind you!" the Sleg shouted over the animals' growls and snarls as he put away his shotgun and took out a grenade.

Hesitantly, the native sheathed his weapons after slicing one of the cat's necks open and he started to climb the wooden ladder. Reptantis pressed a button on the grenade he was holding and the spikes ejected out of various part of it. He then threw the explosive at the animals before he immediately started climbing after his companion.

The grenade landed and stuck to the side of one of the Saber-Toothed Tigers before it detonated. The large explosion managed to obliterate most of the predators, leaving behind various chunks of gore and bloodstains all over the grass. The surviving animals roared in defeat before running off into the highland jungles.

"That was close." Siômo commented with a sigh of relief as they climbed the wooden ladder.

"Yeah… I preferred fighting the Compies." the Sleg commented, earning a chuckle from his companion.

The two companions climbed the tall ladder for well over an hour. It amazed them just how tall this ladder was and that it even supported their body weight. They determined that as long as they didn't look down, then they'd be fine.

Siômo had to admit though; the scenery around them was beautiful. He wasn't very familiar with jungles, but he found all forms of nature to be beautiful.

"What do you think of the view?" the native asked curiously as they climbed.

"Dangerous looking and dirty. I prefer being in cities." Reptantis grumbled in response.

The Skræling sighed because of this response and shook his head. He had no idea how anyone couldn't like nature. He respected the Sleg's opinions however and kept climbing. After what felt like forever, they finally reached the top of the ladder.

Siômo climbed onto the mountain's ledge and held his hand out. Reptantis accepted the help and grabbed the native's hand, resulting in him being pulled up. Once they were both on the ledge, they looked around their new environment.

Unlike the rest of the mountain, there were no jungles or even trees around. They had reached the top of the mountain and the area was mostly just rock. What stuck out the most however, was a circular, metal building with spikes sticking out of the sides and roof. There was also a wooden path leading up to the metal doors with strange patterns on them, most likely the entrance.

"This place is more… foreboding than I thought it would." Siômo commented with a heavy frown.

"Well, there's no turning back now. Let's just go in and ask our questions." Reptantis replied before he started walking towards the building.

The Skræling waited a few moments before he chose to follow his companion. They both walked over to the double doors and were about to open it, but the doors slowly opened by themselves.

The two companions looked at one another before they entered the intimidating building. Once they were inside, the double doors gently shut behind them. They looked around the hallway they were in to see small spikes sticking out of the walls, yet they were curved upward, so it looked like they were meant for decoration rather than to be deadly.

Ignoring the strange environment, the duo walked down the small hallway until they entered a large room with columns on the side, most likely mean to support the room. There was also a robed figure sitting on a throne with spikes sticking out of the sides of the seat. Now that Siômo thought about it, he noticed that all of the spikes within the building were made out of bones.

The man sitting on the throne was wearing a blood red robe with a black cloth hanging from his left shoulder. The cloth had some kind of golden symbol, but its meaning was unknown. The man himself had extremely pale skin and his eye sockets were black. His eyes were also white and without pupils. Lastly, he was holding a black staff in his right hand with what looked like a crystal ball on the tip.

There were also two animals sitting on both sides of the throne. These animals looked like canines, yet their skin was like that of a salamander and their backs were covered in spikes. Their skin was black with blotches of orange and yellow, and they had no eyes. If their spikes weren't intimidating enough, their teeth were razor sharp and they had claws on the ends of their toes.

'What are these things?' Siômo asked in his head as he looked at both the animals and the robed figure.

"Welcome to my home… I've been expecting you. My name is TarKeen." the robed figure spoke as he lowered his head, hiding most of his upper face in the shadows of his hood.

Reptantis stayed silent because he had no idea what to say to a being that he thought he'd never see, let alone being addressed by. Siômo on the other hand, stepped forward with confidence, ignoring the spiked animals' growls.

"I was told that you can help me find my brother." The native stated with a straight face.

"Yes… I know where Awehsohs is." TarKeen replied slowly.

Both Siômo and Reptantis' eyes widened at this. How did this strange being know Awehsohs' name.

"Don't look so surprised. There aren't many things that I don't know about in this land. I know that you, Siômo, are not from this world… that you have the blood of Abenaki warriors and Norse fighters." the robed creature commented as he raised his head a little. "Anyway… there are more things at stake than just your brother. Siômo… you have been chosen to take the mantle of Turok and you are the Son of Stone." he revealed with a blank expression.

'So it's true… the Son of Stone…' Reptantis thought to himself as he watched his human ally stare right back at the hooded figure.

"I do not care what title you give me. I only care for my brother." the bearded native stated emotionlessly.

TarKeen's blank face changed to a furiously frown and he quickly stood up, startling both the two companions and the spined animals.

"Do not deny your destiny, Siômo!" the robed figure shouted loudly and he slammed his staff on the stone floor.

The spined animal to his right leaned close to him and it looked like it was whispering something to its master, greatly confusing the two companions. The robed figure nodded before looking back at them.

"Perhaps we can come to an agreement. You don't have to accept your destiny… yet, but you will fulfill it nonetheless. For you see… the Sleg army have caused much suffering in the Lost Land and they aim to cause even more. If you choose to help cease the Sleg army's bloodshed, then I will guide you in the right direction of your journey." TarKeen offered as he sat back down on his throne.

Siômo was about to argue against this, but he stopped himself and considered his options. Awehsohs could be anywhere in this strange land and he could end up searching for his brother for years and never find him. His best chance would be to get this strange seer's help.

"What do I need to do?" the Skræling questioned with an angry expression.

"Theirs is a woman waiting for you just outside my home. She will guide you to the Death Marsh… to the south. Once there, you must find the Temple of the Necromancer. You will know where to go from there, I promise." the robed figure explained calmly and the doors to the exit opened behind the duo.

"You better not be lying… or I will return." Siômo threatened before he turned around and stormed out.

Reptantis watched his ally leave before he looked at the seer. He was about to say something, but TarKeen held his hand up to silence him.

"Go with Siômo. He will need your help. You are linked with the Son of Stone's path now." TarKeen told him as he slowly lowered his hand.

Reptantis nodded in understanding and bowed his head slightly in respect. He then turned around and rushed out to catch up with the Abenaki. Once they were both outside, the doors shut and locked themselves.


	11. A Slight Detour

**Kwai kwai nidobak! A friend of mine, who goes by the name of Mizter Lamp, is planning on making a comic and possibly audio version of my Lightning series. I just wanted to mention that to you readers because I like the idea and I want to be supportive. Anyway, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 11: A Slight Detour

Awehsohs woke up with a start and when he felt someone roughly grab him and start shaking him. His eyes opened to see one of the Slegs next to him shaking him awake.

"Wake up, human. We're almost there." the Sleg spoke with a usual guttural voice as it released the child.

The young native nodded and looked down at the ground. He felt the airship stop moving forward and began to descend towards the ground. The ramp that would allow them all to exit opened and all of the soldiers stood up.

The nine year old Skræling was about to stand up, but the Sleg who shook him awake grabbed his shoulder again and pulled him up. He glared at the cruel soldier for a second before he adopted a nervous expression and he followed the troops out of the ship.

'This is it...' Awehsohs thought to himself as he walked down the ramp and onto the stone ground.

The child looked around his new surroundings to see that there weren't any jungles around anymore. Instead, there were volcanic mountains in the distance and some buildings could be seen on the mountains. He was also on the roof of what appeared to be a castle of some sort with a very tall tower in the center.

There were Sleg soldiers of all shapes and sizes on the roof he was on. Two Sleg soldiers grabbed his shoulders all of a sudden so that he wouldn't get away. One of the hulkish Slegs who dragged him out of his cell back in the camp was standing close by and with its back to him.

All of a sudden, almost all of the soldiers cleared a path and a single Sleg was walking down the new path. This Sleg was much, much different than the others however.

Judging by the new Sleg's body shape, it was a male and his flesh consisted of black scales. He probably stood about eight feet tall and his body was ridden with noticeable muscles. His head resembled a featherless raptor and Awehsohs guessed that his mouth was full of razor sharp teeth. No one could see it, but he also had a stubby tail on his lower back. The tall Sleg was wearing a blood red cape that went down to his ankles and it looked like it could go all around his body if he wanted it to. There were dark gray shoulder pads resting on his shoulders as well and they were covered in dangerous looking spikes. Lastly, his eyes were completely yellow with black, reptilian slits.

The very intimidating Sleg calmly walked up to Awehsohs and the other three Slegs with his arms resting behind his back. He stopped once he was right in front of the hulkish Sleg.

"Lord Dominus." the hulkish brute spoke respectfully. "We brought you a child who is possibly the-"

"Did any of you fools bother to inform me before bringing a human to my castle?" Lord Dominus interrupted with a deathly glare, sending a chill down everyone's spines.

His voice sounded much deeper than the other Sleg's voices, but it was still guttural.

"W-we tried, but-" the muscular Sleg tried to explain.

"No excuses. I was not informed that a human would be taken to my home." the Sleg leader growled and he barred his pearly white teeth.

"G-General Pugnator believes that this human might b-be the Son of S-Stone…" the hulkish Sleg practically whimpered as it started shaking in fear.

Awehsohs was amazed and horrified as he looked at the trembling brute. He thought those soldiers were supposed to be the toughest of the tough, but this "Lord Dominus" was making the hulkish Sleg cower like a frightened child.

"The Son of Stone… I see why you brought the human, but you should've informed me before you brought him here. I will have to show you… all of you… what happens when you don't inform me of such things." the cape wearing Sleg stated emotionlessly as he reached behind his cape and pulled out a pistol.

The hulkish Sleg's eyes widened in horror and it opened his mouth to say something, but Lord Dominus quickly aimed between his terrified eyes and squeezed the trigger. There was a loud pop as the bullet buried itself in the soldier's head and it fell to the ground with a thud. A pool of blood began to expand under the large corpse and the others simply stayed silent, not wanting to further anger their leader.

Lord Dominus slowly looked away from the corpse on the ground and directly as Awehsohs, making the child shiver in fear. The tall Sleg was still holding the pistol and he walked over to his new captive

The young Skræling tried to move away from the extremely intimidating Sleg, but the two soldiers that were holding his shoulders firmly held him in place. He stopped struggling once the Sleg leader was less than a foot away from him and he had to look up to see his raptor-like face.

"So… you are one of the two things that fell from the sky… and it is possible that you are the Son of Stone." the Sleg leader spoke, mostly to himself, as he looked over the child. "What's your name, human?" he demanded sharply.

"I-I'm Awehsohs…" the nine year old answered quietly, just barely holding back a fearful whimper.

Lord Dominus nodded before he looked at the two soldiers holding the young native in place. They tensed up when they noticed their leader looking at him and they were fearing for their lives.

"Take Awehsohs to one of the guest room sand lock him inside." the intimidating Sleg ordered professionally. "And don't harm him because if you do… I will execute you both in front of your families." he added with a hard glare.

"As you wish, Lord Dominus." the two soldier spoke shakily in unison before they practically dragged the young boy away.

Awehsohs looked over his shoulder to look at Lord Dominus one last time before he was taken into the castle. The two muscular soldiers led brought him to spiral staircase and they all walked down the stairs in silence, none of them wanting to talk about what just happened.

They stopped about halfway down the stairs because there was a wooden door at their level and the Sleg to Awehsohs' right opened it. They then walked inside to find themselves in a well decorated hallway with a crimson colored rug covering the floor.

The two Slegs brought him to a door at the end of the hallway and opened it. Before he even had a chance to look inside, they pushed him in, slammed the door behind him, and locked the door with a click.

Awehsohs was on his hands and knees due to the push. He looked down at the floor to see that it was covered in a red rug, not that much different than the one in the hallway.

Sighing heavily, the young native child slowly stood up and looked around the room he was forced into. The room was surprisingly nice looking. The walls were made out of stone bricks, but the various paintings and bookshelves distracted him from the dull walls. There was a decent sized bed on the end of the room and an overhead light kept the room well lit.

The nine year old looked at the room with wide eyes. He wasn't expecting it to be so… nice. He noticed that there was a wooden door to his left and walked towards it. Slowly, he opened the door and looked inside to see that he had his own bathroom that also looked well kept.

'I do not understand. Why did that Dominus guy have me stay in such a nice place when Pugnator put me in such a terrible room?' he thought to himself as he closed the bathroom door and walked over to the queen sized bed.

Awehsohs was purely amazed at all of this. He's never even seen anything like this before because his tribe never had bookcases or toilets or queen sized beds. He bet his father could explain these things to him, but he knew that he'd never get to meet his father now that he was in a completely different world than his own.

The young half-Viking was brought out of his thoughts when the door clicked and opened, revealing Lord Dominus himself. The child's eyes widened in fear as the extremely intimidating Sleg calmly walked into his room and the door closed behind him.

The black scaled Sleg rested his hands behind his back and his cape lightly flapped behind him as he approached his captive. Awehsohs had to look all the way up to see the Sleg's face and he ended up falling on his rump, luckily landing on the bed.

"How do you fancy your new room?" Lord Dominus asked surprisingly, making the boy flinch.

"It is… nice…" the nine year old answered honestly, but with obvious fear.

"Good. It once belonged to one of the chefs. He's no longer amongst the living however, so don't worry about him returning to this room." the Sleg leader assured, but only succeeded in making the child even more scared.

"Wh-why is he dead?" Awehsohs couldn't help, but ask.

"He tried to poison my drink once, so I forced him to drink it." Lord Dominus answered with a dark chuckle, making the boy shiver. "Now then… I am going to ask you some questions and you need to answer honestly." he stated professionally as he squatted down so they were eye to eye.

"N-no… I do not want to answer your questions." the young native replied hesitantly, wanting to stay strong.

"Now now… don't force me to have to hurt a child." the intimidating Sleg stated almost sweetly as he gently pushed the native's bangs out of his eyes.

Awehsohs didn't reply to this and shivered slightly as he felt his captor's scales brush against his forehead. He wanted to be strong like the heroes in the stories that his elders used to tell him, but bravery could end up getting him killed here.

"O-okay… I will answer y-your questions…" he stuttered as he held his arms to try to stop himself from trembling.

"Good human. Where do you come from and why do you look different from the other humans?" Lord Dominus questioned calmly, his reptilian eyes staring into the child's dark brown orbs.

"I… I come from a different world… my mother and elders are Skræling natives… and my father is a Norseman from across the ocean." Awehsohs answered honestly, knowing that lying would only lead to more hardships.

"I see… I have been told that two objects fell from the sky. You were one of them; what or who was the other?" the Sleg asked sternly.

"The other thing to fall… was my brother, Siômo." the nine year old told his captor, nearly on the verge of tears because he felt like he was betraying his loving brother.

"You're brother? That is certainly interesting. Is he young like yourself?" Lord Dominus questioned as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"N-no; he is a grown man…" Awehsohs answered with a very shaky voice. "Please don't hurt Siômo… I… I…" he practically begged as his eyes began to water up.

"If your brother proves to be a major problem in my plans, then I will have him killed. If not, then he will be captured and you I will allow you to see him." the tall Sleg interrupted as he stood up to his full height. "Thank you for answering honestly. I will be back in a few hours." He told his captive before he turned around and calmly walked out of the room without another word.

Once Lord Dominus was outside of the room, the door closed and the click of the lock was heard. The young Skræling could no longer hold back his tears and he started crying.

'I am sorry Siômo... please forgive me…' Awehsohs thought to himself as he curled into a ball on the bed and cried to his heart's content.

* * *

Back in the highlands, Siômo and Reptantis were leaving TarKeen's temple and they stopped in their tracks when they saw something interesting. There was a human woman sitting on what could only a dock-like platform on the side of the mountain. Her feet were hanging lazily off the ledge and it looked like she was looking out at the scenery.

This woman had pale skin with blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail. She wore black cargo pants with matching boots and her belt had ammo pouches attached to it. She was also wearing a white tank top and an opened up brown jacket with the sleeves rolled up. Lastly, there were tined goggles over her eyes.

"Excuse me, miss. May we have a word with you?" the Skræling requested as he took a step towards the girl.

The woman's head perked up when he spoke and she stood up before casually turning around to greet them. She opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped herself when she noticed Reptantis and she glared at him.

"TarKeen didn't tell me that a Sleg was with you." she stated flatly with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm not like others of my kind." Reptantis informed her with a heavy frown, not liking this woman's attitude.

The two individuals glared at one another, obviously not liking each other. Not wanting a fight to break out, Siômo stood between them.

"We were told that you could guide us to the Death Marsh." the native informed her with a straight face.

The woman seemed to calm down when he spoke and she glanced at the scenery behind her before looking at the Skræling again.

"My name is Kiara. I come from the Suspended City, to the east. My job is to bring food and other supplies to TarKeen. In return, the human army is given information on what the Slegs are up to." the woman explained calmly, but she kept a close eye on the Sleg.

"I am Siômo and this is my friend, Reptantis." the native introduced, but the woman rolled her eyes when she referred to the Sleg as a friend.

Reptantis was actually kind of touched that his human companion considered him to be a friend. No one's called him that in a very long time.

"…Well, I suppose you should have these so we can talk over long distances." the human woman told them as she held out two earpieces.

The Sleg grabbed one without hesitation and put it over his earhole, but Siômo simply stared at the strange device. He's never seen anything like it before. Kiara noticed that he wasn't taking the earpiece and she gave him a strange look.

"You put it over your ear." Reptantis told his native ally.

The Skræling didn't understand why he had to do this, but he did as instructed and placed the device on his ear. It felt very strange to him, but he decided not to question it and moved on to the subject at hand.

"So, shall we get going?" Siômo suggested politely, gaining a smirk from the woman.

"Just give me one second…" she told them with a light chuckle at the end.

As soon as she finished saying that, Kiara casually turned around, looked up at the sky, and whistled loudly. A few silent moments passed before loud caws and screeches could be heard in the distance. All of sudden, three Pteranodons flew straight towards them and landed on the wooden structure they were on, greatly startling Siômo and Reptantis.

The Pteranodons were much larger than the average human and they stared at the group of three their blood red eyes. Their bodies were covered in light brown scales and their leathery wing membranes were dark brown in color. They also had leather saddles on their backs with what looked like guns on the sides. There were gatling guns on the right side of the saddles, and multi-barreled rocket launchers on the left.

"Do either of you know how to ride these babies?" Kara asked smugly as she walked around one of the flying dinosaurs and mounted the saddle.

"No…" both males answered as they stared at the animals with wide eyes, making her chuckle in amusement.

"Just get one the saddles and I'll teach you. They won't bite ya." the female human told them as she motioned to the other flying dinosaurs.

Siômo took a deep breath before he walked over to the Pteranodon on the right and cautiously mounted the saddle. Reptantis was a lot more hesitant, but he finally approached the animal on the left.

The Sleg attempted to mount the dinosaur, but it screeched and he ended up falling on his backside. He groaned in annoyance as Kiara laughed loudly and he stood up again. Siômo remained silent however and patiently waited.

"Shut up." Reptantis grumbled as he mounted the Pteranodon and sat on its saddle without any problems this time.

"Okay, riding these guys is like riding a horse. Have either of you rode a horse before?" Kiara asked them, but they both shook their heads, making her sigh. "Basically, these guys do what you want them to by how you hold the reins. Pull the reins back to tell it them to go up, forward to go down, and left and right are the directions. Use the guns by pressing the buttons on the guns." she explained to them.

Just after she explained that, she pulled the reins on her dinosaur back and it immediately took flight. Following her example, the two men pulled their reins back and took flight as well.

As they flew over the mountains, Reptantis was screaming at the top of his lungs in fear as Kiara laughed loudly in pure joy. Siômo was terrified as well, but he was able to stop himself from screaming.

The two males finally started to calm down once they got the hang of riding the Pteranodons. They were each flying side by side now and Kiara was leading them south-east.

"We'll be at the Death Marsh in two hours if there aren't any distractions." Kiara's voice was heard in the earpieces.

"How did you speak in my ear? Is it these things you gave us?" the Skræling asked with a confused expression.

"Um, yes. Earpieces let us talk even when we aren't within hearing distance." she explained as if it was obvious.

Siômo was amazed that this strange land could have such technology that was unheard of in his world, but he didn't voice it. He just looked at the passing mountains and the jungles below them. He hoped that TarKeen was right and the Death Marsh would lead him to his brother somehow.


	12. Aerial Assault

**`Kwai kwai everyone! I would like to reply to one of the reviews by "ultimate dragon." In my story "In the Name of Liberty" Voltia got pregnant off-screen and it's going to stay that way and I've already explained how she and Connor got together in the first book. I'm thinking about writing another "In the Name of Liberty," but it won't involve Connor. Mentem will most likely be the protagonist and it'll focus on the events between "In the Name of Liberty" I and II. And don't worry about not having a working PC; by computer is a piece of crap and I can't afford a new one. Anyway, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 12: Aerial Assault

In the skies above the Lost Land's highlands, three Pteranodons could be seen flying through the air. These were the same dinosaurs that had Siômo, Reptantis, and Kiara on their backs and each of the flying reptiles had machine guns and rocket launchers mounted to their saddles.

The bearded native was a little nervous to be so high above the ground, but he trusted the animal to keep him safe. He looked down at the jungles below to see a herd of Pteranodon drinking from a nearby river.

These large animals were much larger than the other dinosaurs that he's seen in the Lost Land and their necks were extremely long. Their hides consisted of gray scales with black stripes on their faces. If he looked closely, he could see that their underbellies were tan in color and orange feathers could be seen going down their necks and all the way to the tips of their tails.

"Heads up, I see a few Sleg tanks ahead. We should take them out." Kiara spoke through the earpieces.

Reptantis and Siômo squinted their eyes as they looked ahead and they in fact spotted the tanks. These vehicles were dark brown in color and they looked like heavily armored rectangles from their current height. The large cannons on top of the vehicles could easily be seen however.

Their female ally flew her Pteranodon downward and sharply pulled up so she was flying just above the ground. The tanks noticed their presence at that point and they aimed their cannons at the flying group.

Kiara made the first move however and shot a single rocket from the rocket launcher attached to the saddle. The flying dinosaur quickly pulled up as the rocket flew through the air and towards one of the tanks. The rocket smashed into the tank and the whole vehicle exploded, killing everyone inside.

"That's one down! Woohoo!" the human woman shouted with a laugh and she destroyed another tank with her rockets.

Following in her footsteps, Reptantis and Siômo had their Pteranodon dive low to the ground and they fired their rockets at the enemy tanks, destroying a large portion of them. The Sleg tanks desperately tried to shoot at the three large dinosaurs, but their ability of flight and quick maneuvers made it almost impossible to hit them.

It took little time to destroy all of the tanks and the three dinosaurs flew side by side towards their destination again. The two males looked tense from the battle, but Kiara was laughing as if someone told a joke.

"Oh I love flying! Watching those little buggers go up in flames always brightens my day!" she commented once she calmed down enough to speak.

"Killing others isn't something to be proud of." Siômo commented disapprovingly as he looked over at her and the Pteranodon she was riding.

Kiara snorted at this, but didn't reply to his words. She found it hilarious when her enemies died in fiery explosions and she didn't care who said otherwise. They were only halfway to the Death Marsh and those tanks most likely called for reinforcements.

To confirm their suspicions, gunfire whizzed past them and a bunch of black vehicles were flying close behind them. These vehicles looked very similar to modern jets, except the engines consisted of rocket thrusters that used blue fire to stay within the sky.

"Attack Jets; try to out maneuver them." Kiara told her allies before her Pteranodon took a nose dive towards the ground.

Two of the black colored vehicles chased after her, but four others stayed to follow Reptantis and Siômo. The Sleg vehicles opened fire with their machine guns and the two companions had to separate in order to dodge the gunfire.

Two of the jets chased after Siômo while the other two flew after Reptantis. The bearded native looked behind him to see the two black jets close behind him and he considered his options. He quickly got an idea however and pulled the reins he was holding.

The Pteranodon screeched as it pulled upwards and did a full loop. Once it leveled out again, it was behind the two jets. Not taking any chances, Siômo activated the machine gun attached to the saddle and the large caliber rounds easily downed both jets. Once of them immediately exploded in the air, but the other one caught fire and crashed into the jungles below.

Siômo looked around to see how his allies were doing and he was just in time to see Reptantis use his rocket launcher to blow up the jets that followed him. He looked over at Kiara to see her pull up from a nosedive and one of the Attack Jets that was following her crashed right into the ground. The other jet pulled up in time however and was following close behind her.

"This one's a better flyer than I thought. Siômo, could you help me out with this one?" the human woman spoke through the earpiece and Reptantis could be heard growling after she said that.

"I'm closer! I'll take care of it!" the Sleg yelled before he flew his Pteranodon over to the last jet.

He opened fire with is machine gun and the Attack Jet was soon destroyed in a fiery explosion. Reptantis smirked as it went up in flames and all three Pteranodons flew side by side once the fight was over.

"Excellent shooting, Reptantis." Siômo praised as he smiled at his reptilian friend, happy that he had the Sleg around with him.

"Yeah, whatever. I asked for Siômo's help." Kiara grumbled as she looked straight ahead.

"I just saved your life, lady. The least you could do is say thank you." the Sleg said angrily, just barely stopping himself from yelling.

The Skræling sighed as they began to argue, but he said nothing because he didn't want to add fuel to the fire. They kept flying for a long while and they could finally see that they were approaching the Death Marsh.

"I believe we've reached the marsh." the native informed them, gaining their attention and stopping their squabble.

"Huh, that didn't take as long as I thought it would." Kiara commented, still sounding pissed about the argument she had with the Sleg.

Almost as soon as she said that however, gunfire began to whiz by them and anti-aircraft guns could be seen hiding amongst the jungle and swamp. The turrets were muddy brown in color and they were each the size of a house. What surprised Siômo however was that the turrets weren't shooting bullets, they were shooting red colored plasma bolts; lasers to be exact.

"Enemies ahead! Evasive maneuvers!" the human woman shouted and they each split up again to avoid the gunfire.

To make things even more complicated, various Attack Jets flew towards them with guns blazing. This alarmed the group of three and they did their best to dodge all of the gunfire.

Siômo's Pteranodon screeched loudly when it was shot in the leg from a stray plasma bolt, but it shook off the burn and continued to fly strong. Reptantis was doing the best when it came to avoiding gunfire and he managed to destroy a few jets with his machine gun.

Kiara was having a lot of trouble however. Much of the enemy shooting was focused on her and her dinosaur got shot a few times. The two males wanted to fly over to her and help her out, but they were too busy dealing with the jets following them and the turrets shooting at them all.

"Gah! I can't shake these scum suckers!" she shouted in frustration as her Pteranodon was shot a few times and it screeched loudly in pain.

"Just hang in there. We will get out of this together." the Skræling spoke with a stern tone of voice as he used the saddle's rocket launcher to destroy one of the many turrets.

"No, there's too many of these bastards! We need to gun it to the swamps!" the human girl shouted, starting to sound a lot more panicked.

"She's right. There's way too many of them." Reptantis stated calmly despite the hectic situation.

Siômo didn't like running away from fights, but he understood that there was no chance that they could win this one. The three Pteranodons regrouped and began to fly side by side again. They had to continuously dodge the gunfire however, but they stayed relatively close.

The turrets were positioned all over the place however and they Attack Jets stayed close behind. When they reached the Death Marsh, the group began to fly lower to the ground to hopefully lose the Slegs in the thick trees. Thankfully, there were no turrets in the swamps but the jets followed.

The Attack Jets opened fire and many of the bullets hit Kiara's Pteranodon, causing clouds of blood to erupt from the bullet wounds and the dinosaur began to plummet towards the ground.

"Dammit! My bird's been hit! I don't think I ca-" Kiara screamed, but she was interrupted when she and her Pteranodon crashed into the swamps below and the explosive ammunition in the saddle crashed them both to explode.

"Kiara!" Siômo shouted with wide eyes as he stared at the fiery explosion, but he was brought back to the battle when a stray bullet whizzed by him, almost hitting him in the head.

"She's gone, Siômo! We need to focus on losing these damn jets!" Reptantis shouted as they narrowly dodged the thick tree branches, causing some of the Attack Jets to crash into the heavy foliage.

The two companions kept flying on their Pteranodons at high speeds and avoiding the huge tree branches. The Attack Jets were stubbornly still following them and shooting their machine guns. Finally, the Skræling got an idea, but it was fairly risky.

"Reptantis, I have an idea! We need to get as low to the ground as possible and jump onto the tree branches!" the native shouted with a look of determination.

"Jump!? Doing that could get us both killed!" the Sleg shouted into the earpiece, obviously not liking that idea at all.

"If you have a better idea, I am all ears!" the half-Viking shouted irritably as bullets continued to whizz by them.

"…Fine." His companion agreed with a heavy sigh.

"On three then. One… two… three!" Siômo shouted when he reached three and they both quickly leapt off of their saddles and they roughly landed on one of the large tree branches.

The two Pteranodon screeched as they continued to fly away without their masters. A few of the Attack Jets attempted to turn around so they could shoot the duo, but they smashed into the trees in the process. The rest of them gave up pulled up to return to wherever they came from.

Siômo and Reptantis panted heavily from both the adrenaline and because of the wind that was knocked o out of them when they landed on the large tree branch. Not needing them anymore, the duo took off their earpieces and let them fall to the swamps below. They took a long while just resting so they could recuperate their energy. After awhile, the Sleg finally spoke.

"I uh… I'm honestly surprised that we're still alive." he commented as he slowly sat up and looked down at the swamp below.

"Kiara didn't make it." Siômo said quietly, feeling somewhat responsible for her death.

"Well, I can't say that I'm sorry about that." Reptantis replied honestly.

The Skræling didn't like that attitude at all, but he understood it. Kiara was acting extremely prejudice around them, but that didn't mean she had to die.

"We should get going, Siômo. We need to find this temple." the Sleg commented before he started to climb down the tree.

The bearded native sighed and started to climb down. This was surprisingly easy because the tree bark was so large and cracked up that they could easily grip the edges of the bark. It didn't take that long for them to reach the bottom of the tree and they dropped down on the muddy ground.

"Gah… I hate swamps." Reptantis growled as he lifted his bare foot to see mud covering his soles and toes.

"I grew up near a swamp. It was nothing like this one though and it was cold for half the year." Siômo commented casually as he started to walk down a muddy path, heading south-east.

The Sleg grumbled quietly to himself, but followed close behind. A few Maganeura flew over their heads, but that was just because the giant dragonflies were catching the mosquitoes that were trying to bite the duo. The native knew full well that swamps were a haven for insects and arachnids.

After about half an hour of walking, they came across a downed Attack Jet that was most likely trying to turn around when they jumped off of their Pteranodons. Reptantis took out his shotgun just in case there were survivors. Wanting to have some protection as well, Siômo took out his bow and readied a poison arrow, the one with the syringes for arrowheads.

The two males cautiously approached the jet and the Sleg slowly slid open the emergency door. He was the first one to go in because he had a shotgun. They slowly wandered to the cockpit, but the relaxed when they saw the Sleg pilot dead in the seat.

"We should probably loot this place for supplies before we move on." Reptantis commented as he lowered his shotgun and started to look around.

The Abenaki eased the tension on his bow and looked around as well. His companion found a small box full of shogun shells, which he quickly took, but Siômo found something interesting. In the back of the jet, where extra supplies were stored, there was some kind of rifle on one of the shelves.

This rifle was made mostly out of metal, but parts of the barrel were made out of bullet proof glass and tubes made out of the same material were sticking out of the barrel and connected to the gun's stalk. The metal was shiny silver in color while the glass contained some kind of bright blue energy. Lastly, there were three slots that had metal lenses tucked into them on the left side of the rifle.

"Reptantis, what is this?" Siômo asked with amazement as he put away his bow and picked up the strange weapon, making his companion chuckle.

"That is called a plasma cannon. It's only meant for Spec Ops teams in the Sleg army." Reptantis started as he walked over to the curious native. "Those slots tell you what firing mode you're on. When one of them is sticking out, you're on the primary firing mode, which fires like a normal plasma rifle. Two lenses are when it's on seeker firing mode. As you can imagine, the plasma bolts lock onto enemies and follows the target. The gun also fires like a machine gun on that mode. When there are three lenses sticking out, then you're on the chain firing mode. The gun fires static shots that bounces between enemies when fired, electrocuting them." He explained as he switched the safety off on the gun and one of the three lenses ejected outwards.

"Huh… this will definitely be a useful weapon." the Skræling commented as he closely looked at his new weapon, and he grabbed a few batteries that he assumed were ammunition for the plasma cannon.

"It looks like you've fallen in love." the Sleg joked with a chuckle before he walked out of the jet with his ally close behind.

Once they were outside of the Sleg vehicle, they continued down the muddy path to who knows where. They both tensed up however when they saw ruffling in the bushes to their right. The two companions aimed their guns at the bush and expected a dinosaur to jump out at them.

Instead, a huge centipede that was twice as long as an adult man crawled out of the bushes. Its exoskeleton was light brown and it possessed a very flat body. There were thousands of small legs under its heavily armored body and it had long antennas where they guessed its head was. This creature was none other than an Arthropleura.

"Relax Siômo. Those things are harmless." Reptantis said calmly as he lowered his shotgun and the centipede moved right past them and started to eat the leaves of a fallen tree branch. "They eat plants, not meat." he added to sooth his ally.

The native hesitantly lowered his plasma cannon he watched as the large insect ate some leaves before skittering away at a high speed. Once it was out of their line of sight, they continued walking.

"Have you ever been to this swamp before?" Siômo asked curiously as he cautiously looked around so they wouldn't get jumped by a predator.

"Once… and I promised myself that I'd never come back here." Reptantis answered quietly, almost grumbling.

"What happened last time you were here?" the native couldn't help, but ask that.

"Almost all of my squad was killed off by predators around here. They don't call this place the Death Swamp for nothing." the Sleg answered honestly with his head down.

The bearded half-Viking nodded with a sympathetic expression and didn't pry on the subject anymore. He made sure to stay alert so that they wouldn't end up like his squad mates.

The duo continued to walk and they soon spotted some broken stone walls around the area. It was as if buildings used to be here, but they were long gone now.

"We must be getting close." Siômo commented quietly as they looked around and the boom of thunder could be heard in the distance.

"I think you might be right. Let's just hope we find it before it starts raining." Reptantis commented and they started to walk a little faster.

Siômo and the Sleg continued moving down the muddy path, hoping that they would finally be guided to Awehsohs.


	13. Ancient Temple

**Kwai kwai everyone! I'm pretty excited about his chapter and the one after this one. I have something special planned that I doubt you readers would have seen coming. Other than that, I can't really think of much to say. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 13: Ancient Temple

Within the Death Swamp of the south, Siômo and Reptantis were walking down a muddy path and they spotted more and more ancient ruins within the foliage as they walked. The sound of insects and frogs could easily be heard in the distance and the two companions constantly had to swat mosquitoes and other pests away from their faces.

There was also something strange about some of the ruins. There were humanoid shaped stone slabs that slightly resembled Aztec statues near the ruins and they were each about three feet tall. The statues resembled people with spiked shields in their left hands. They didn't have any weapons in their right hands though.

"Those statues are kinda creepy." the muscular Sleg mumbled as his reptilian eyes glared at the motionless statues.

"Forget about them. I think I see a building up ahead." the bearded native replied and he pointed down the path ahead of them.

The muddy trail led directly into a large clearing with a two story tall building in the center. Like the rest of the ruins, the building was made of stone and it appeared to be hundred or possibly thousands of years old. There were a large number of stone statues around the building however, giving the place a very foreboding appearance.

"This place was easy enough to find." the native commented calmly and they walked past the statues and towards the building.

"I don't like this. It's too quiet here." Reptantis replied as his reptilian yellow eyes slowly scanned around the area ahead of them.

As they walked past them, the stone statues began to move by themselves and they silently turned to face the duo. Slowly, the statues moved off of their podiums and quietly followed the duo.

Siômo's keen ears could hear the faint ruffling of grass behind them and he looked over his shoulder to see what it was. His dark brown eyes widened however when he saw the ancient statures creeping towards them with their spiked shields at the ready.

"Siômo? What's wrong?" Reptantis asked curiously as he turned around, but his eyes widened as well when he spotted the living statues.

Once they realized that they've been spotted, the statues began to rush towards the two men. Reptantis quickly raised his shotgun and shot the closest statue in the chest, causing it to shatter into thousands of small stone chunks.

Siômo switched his plasma cannon to the third firing mode and squeezed the trigger. An electrical blue plasma bolt shot out of the rifle and hit one of the statues, which immediately burst into chunks like the other statue that was shot. The plasma bolt split up however and began to electrocute other nearby statues, causing them to shatter.

The two men began to back up as they shot the approaching statues. One of them tried to slice open Reptantis with its spiked shield, but he Sleg narrowly dodged the attack and shot it with his shotgun. It seemed like with every statue they destroyed however, four took its place.

"There's too many of them!" Reptantis shouted in frustration as he and his native ally gunned down over a dozen of them.

"Forget them! Flee to the temple!" the Skræling shouted before he turned around and began to sprint towards their destination.

The Sleg was close behind him and they ran as fast as they could away from the ancient stone statues that gave chase. The two men rushed towards the temple's entrance and the moment they were inside, the entrance slammed shut.

They both panted from running and the initial shock of their near death as they stared at the stone door that probably saved their lives. The stone statues could be heard banging their shields against the door, but there wasn't a chance that they could break through.

"That was much too close." Siômo commented once he caught his breath and they took this moment to reload their weapons.

"I once spent three weeks in these swamps, but I've never seen anything like that before." the Sleg commented with a frustrated growl.

"Let us just hope that we will not encounter those… things again." the native replied with a sigh.

His companion nodded to this and they looked around the temple. The walls, floor, and ceiling was made from stone bricks and it was rather dark. Reptantis holstered his shotgun before he took out his pistol with his right hand and a flashlight in his left. He turned on the light source so they could see a little easier and glyphs could be seen carved into the walls.

"What do you think they mean?" Siômo asked curiously as they looked at the strange symbols.

"I don't know. They look like they're of alien origin though." the Sleg replied as he saw a few symbols he recognized, but he didn't know what they meant exactly. "If I were to guess… I'd say that this place was meant to worship something or was a monastery." he commented after some thought.

"Alien? Strange." the Skræling mumbled and they looked away from the glyphs.

They didn't see anything else of interest in the current room they were in, but they spotted an open doorframe that led into another room. The two men cautiously approached the doorframe, but they stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted a pair of glowing blue eyes down the hallway. Reptantis' flashlight didn't have much range to it, so they could only guess what those eyes belonged to.

The eyes appeared to be moving up and down slightly, but the duo realized that whatever those eyes belonged to was walking towards them at a slow pace. The native quickly took aim with his plasma cannon while the Sleg did the same with is pistol. They wanted to see what exactly was approaching them before attacking however, just in case they missed.

There was complete silence other than the two men's breathing and the soft footsteps of whatever was approaching them. Their hearts were pumping so loudly that they thought that it could be heard throughout the hallway.

Finally, the creature stepped into the light, revealing what it was. The creature was a humanoid skeleton this bleached out bones. The undead creature was of an unknown race and it was carrying a rusty battle axe.

The skeletal creature let out a sudden ghostly breath and it raised its axe to strike. Reptantis shot it three times with his pistol, but it didn't seem to even flinch when the bullets connected. Siômo switched to the plasma cannon's primary fire and shot a single plasma bolt at it, but the attack only left behind a black burn around the skeleton's shoulder.

The two males slowly backed up as the skeleton continued to advance on them. They had no idea how much bullets this thing could take and they only had so much ammunition left.

"What does it take to kill this thing?" the Sleg asked shakily as they backed up into the main room.

Instead of answering, the Skræling shouldered his plasma cannon. He quickly unsheathed his double edged tomahawk with his right hand and his father's Viking sword with his left.

"Keep your light on it." he told his scaly companion before he ran forward.

The skeleton began to swing at the native with its axe, but he used his sword to parry the attack before he buried on edge of the tomahawk blade into its burned shoulder. The undead creature let out another sudden breath before it elbowed him in the gut, making him grunt in pain.

Siômo quickly hopped back a few feet, just barely dodged a swing from the rusty axe. The native roared in fury as he raised his tomahawk and buried it into the skeleton's skull with a loud crack. It flinched from the attack and raised its own axe to do the same to its opponent, but it stopped when the human stabbed it in the chest with his Viking sword.

The skeleton let out one final ghostly breath before the glowing blue light faded from its eye sockets and it collapsed to the ground and the bones separated from each other, creating a mass of bones on the floor.

The Skræling panted heavily as he stood over the bones and he slowly turned to face his companion, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"I've never seen anything undead before…" the Sleg stated quietly.

"I have." Siômo replied before they started to walk down the dark hallway with only a flashlight to light the way ahead of them.

Reptantis wanted to ask the human where he's seen other undead creatures, but now wasn't' exactly an ideal place to ask. They had to stay silent so they could hear any possible skeletons or statues.

After a few tense moments that seemed like an infinity, they came to the end of the hallway and saw another open doorframe. The duo cautiously walked into the room and Reptantis shined his flashlight around the room. They didn't see any glowing blue eyes in the darkness, so they knew that there weren't any skeletons in this room.

There were more strange glyphs on the wall and the room seemed fairly empty. The only thing of interest within the room was some kind of podium in the center of the room. They slowly walked over to the stone podium and they quickly noticed that there was a rolled up scroll on top of it.

"Whoa… how old do you think it is?" Reptantis asked as they looked at the scroll.

"I do not know, but TarKeen said that this place would lead us to Awehsohs somehow. Maybe this will be our guide." Siômo replied, but he didn't sound very convinced himself.

"Well, the only way to find out is to open the scroll and try to read it." the Sleg commented with an awkward shrug.

The Abenaki man nodded before he sheathed his weapons and gently rested his hands on the scroll. He slowly undid the straps that were keeping it rolled up and he carefully unrolled it so he wouldn't tear the paper.

Once the scroll was laying flat on the podium, they both looked at it to see symbols that looked even stranger than the glyphs on the walls. The symbols were also inked in blood from an unknown creature.

"Do you know what they say?" Siômo asked because he didn't know how to read.

"No… I've never seen any writing like this before." the Sleg answered honestly as he squinted his eyes trying to read the strange symbols.

The scroll began to emit a sickly green light all of a sudden, startling the two men. They quickly stepped away from the scroll, but the light got so bright that it blinded the. After a few seconds, the light died down… but Reptantis and Siômo weren't there anymore.

* * *

Back at the Sleg castle within the mountains, Awehsohs was still curled up in a ball on his bed, but he wasn't crying anymore. He was simply staring at the brick wall with his back to the door and thinking about everything he was forced to go through since he and his brother arrived in the Lost Land.

He couldn't believe that he was being held captive at all and was locked into the room he was in. He was just a kid, what did they expect from him? He also kept thinking about this "Son of Stone" that they all believed he was. It didn't make much sense to him. All he wanted to do was go home.

The young native flinched when he heard the click of the lock and the door opened. He refused to see who was at the door, but he could hear footsteps approaching the bed. The footsteps stopped just short of his position, but he still refused to see who his visitor was.

"Look at me, Awehsohs." Lord Dominus' voice broke the silence.

"I… I don't want to…" the nine year old replied with a whimper as he closed his eyes.

"Awehsohs… look at me or else you'll force me to hurt you." the Sleg's deep, guttural voice said more sternly than before.

The young Skræling really didn't want to, but he did as the Sleg wished and slowly rolled over so he was looking at his captor. Lord Dominus was standing tall in front of the bed with his hands resting behind his back.

"I have a few more questions for you. I want you to stand up and follow me." he ordered sternly with an emotionless expression.

Awehsohs really didn't want to follow the tall Sleg, but he knew that he had no other choice. He sighed quietly as he got off of the bed and stood up. Lord Dominus turned around and walked out of the room with his prisoner close behind.

The young native followed the black scaled Sleg through the various hallways until they came across a wooden door. The muscular Sleg opened the door and stepped aside so the child could enter.

Hesitantly, the nine year old stepped inside the poorly lit room and looked around. Almost all of the room was shrouded in darkness and the only light in the room was illuminating a chair in the center of the room.

"Sit down." Lord Dominus ordered as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

Awehsohs slowly walked over to the wooden chair and sat down. The chair was a little tall for him and his feet were dangling slightly in the air with only the tips of his feet touching the floor. Once he was seated, the tall Sleg slowly walked up to him and stopped when he was right in front of the chair. Like before, he squatted down so they were both eye level with one another.

"Why did you bring me here?" the young Skræling asked shakily, feeling like he deserved to know.

"It's dark in here, so there's nothing else for you to look at. I want your primary focus to be me." his captor answered simply, yet honestly. "Now then, I need to find out if you truly are the son of stone or not." he added casually.

"H-how are you going to do that?" the child couldn't help, but ask despite his fear.

"You'll see…" Lord Dominus answered vaguely with a grin.

The tall Sleg slowly raised his three fingered hand so that Awehsohs could clearly see it. He quietly murmured some ineligible words and a light blue mist began to seep out of his scaled hand, causing the child to gasp in fear.

"Don't move. I promise that it won't hurt." he promised before he placed his scaled hand on the nine year old's forehead.

Awehsohs groaned in discomfort as he felt like something was digging into his mind. It didn't hurt at all, as promised, but it definitely felt strange and awkward. After a few moments, the Sleg pulled his hand away and the magical mist began to fade away.

"W-well…? Am I the Son of Stone?" the young native asked fearfully, knowing that he would most likely be killed if that was the case.

"Hmm… after thoroughly searching through your spiritual essence… no. You're not the Son of Stone." Lord Dominus answered truthfully.

Awehsohs released the breath he didn't know he was holding and his tense muscles began to relax. Even though that title sounded cool to him, he was relieved that he wasn't the Son of Stone. It was like a huge weight was taken off of his shoulders.

"So… does that mean that Siômo is the Son of Stone?" the nine year old asked hesitantly.

"Yes, there's no doubt about it now. I've also been told that your brother has been causing some trouble for my army." the tall Sleg answered with a heavy frown, making the child scared.

The young boy watched as his captor stood up straight again and walked over to the door. When the door opened, the light from outside leaked into the room; creating trail of light from the chair to the door.

"Follow me, Awehsohs. I'm going to bring you back to your room." Lord Dominus told him.

Awehsohs nodded before he stood up and followed the eight foot tall Sleg. He didn't try to sneak away because there wasn't really anywhere to run, and also because the Sleg has never lied to him.

They walked through a few different hallways before reaching the door that led to the child's new room. He watched as his captor opened the door and stepped aside so he could enter, which he did slowly.

"I think I'll keep you alive, Awehsohs. You may be quite useful to me. I'll have someone send you food in a little while." the black scaled Sleg commented as he watched the young native boy walk over to his bed and sit down.

"T-thank you…" the Skræling replied quietly, not really knowing what else to say.

Lord Dominus nodded with a barely noticeable smile before he closed the door. Awehsohs sighed heavily once he heard the click of the door's lock and he laid down on his back, going into deep thought.

He wasn't sure how to take all of this. Lord Dominus looked so scary and was willing to kill his own people, yet he was being so nice to his captive of all people. He wanted to know what that Sleg was planning. And more importantly, what was going to happen to his brother? There were so many questions he had, yet no answers.

'Awehsohs… where are you?' the nine year old asked in his head as he stared at the ceiling above him.

The young Skræling flinched in surprise when he heard the sound of something being unlocked and he looked at the entrance to see the door open. One of the skinny Slegs he's seen was standing at the door with a tray of food in its hands. It walked into the room with a straight face and gently placed the tray on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Eat up, child." it spoke with a guttural, yet distinctly female voice.

"Thank you, miss." Awehsohs said politely, not wanting to upset his captors.

The female Sleg simply nodded before she turned on her heels and walked out of the room without another word. Once the door was closed and the click of the lock was heard, the child started to eat the meat and fruits he was given. He hasn't eaten since yesterday, so he was overjoyed to be eating something.

It didn't take long at all for the nine year old to finish eating and he looked at the empty plate with a small smile. He was surprised how well the food tasted and that they were willing to give him such nice food. He decided that now would be a good to get some rest.

Awehsohs took off his leather shirt and shoes before he laid down on the bed with the blankets over him. He cuddled up to the blankets as he closed his eyes to sleep. The last thing he thought about before he fell asleep was his mother, Kizokw, and how she was taking her sons' disappearances.


	14. Welcome to Necropolis

**Kwai kwai nidobak! I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who've reviewed this story. It makes me happy to know that some people are willing to spend some of their time writing about how they feel about the story so fear. I really do appreciate it. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 14: Welcome to Necropolis

Siômo and Reptantis raised their hands over their faces to block out the bright light. They had no idea what was happening, but they felt a sudden case of dread and despair. The light began to fade after a few tense moments and they slowly lowered their hands.

They didn't know what just happened, but one thing was for certain. They weren't in the ancient temple anymore. The place the light brought them to was completely different than the temple.

The area they were in was a forest, but all of the trees were dead and there were no leaves. The ground they were standing on had small patches of dead grass, but it was mostly warm sand. They looked up at the sky to see a black void above them and red colored lightning occasionally flashed in the distance with a loud boom afterwards.

"Where are we?" Reptantis asked quietly as they looked around the strange environment.

"I do not know… but I do not think that we are in the Death Marsh anymore." the Skræling replied as he took a few steps forward and the dead grass crunched under his feet.

They both flinched in surplice when a sickly green mist appeared out of nowhere, only to fade away. Once the mist faded away, a robed skeleton with four arms stood before them. Its glowing green eye sockets and bloody face looked extremely disturbing along with the scenery around them.

Reptantis gasped in fear when he saw the skeleton and he quickly fumbled for his shotgun, but he ended up dropping it because his hands were so shaky. He bent down to pick it up, but he stopped when he heard his companion's voice.

"Wait, I know you…" Siômo said to the skeleton as his eyes widened. "You are Nekromant… the spirit who visited me when I was a child." he realized as he took a few steps back.

"Hmm… I'm glad that you remember me…" the necromancer spoke with a dry voice and a cackle at the end. "Now then… I'm sure you and your Sleg friend are wondering where you are…" he figured as he raised one of his left hands and the shotgun on the ground slowly floated into the air and landed in the surprised Sleg's hands.

"Yes, what is this place?" the Skræling questioned with tense muscles.

"You are in my realm, Necropolis… the realm that I rule. My realm's landmasses consist of floating islands… and there are five main islands and each have one of my minions guarding it. And you are on one of my main islands." Nekromant explained with his dry sounding voice that sent chills down the two men's spines.

"Floating islands? That does not make any sense. I have seen some insane things… but floating islands do not sound believable to me." the bearded native stated firmly, starting to regain his confidence.

The dark deity cackled darkly from the human's comment. He found their fearfully and angry responses to be very entertaining.

"I'm sure that you two will reach the end of this island and you will see for yourselves that you actually are on an island. You see, you are on the island, Atrum Nemus, guarded by my minion, Maiden Maria. In order to return to the Lost land, you must find the teleportation scroll on this island; not too dissimilar from the scroll that brought you here. Once you find the scroll within the forest… I will tell you how to save Awehsohs and allow you to leave my home." the necromancer informed them both before a sickly green mist began to emit from the ground around him.

The two mortals stepped away from the mist just in case it was harmful and watched as it went up the undead creature's body. Siômo wanted to ask Nekromant more questions about the place they were in, but the mist faded away and the necromancer was no longer there.

"Well… that was scary." Reptantis commented shakily after a long moment of silence. "How do you know that… thing?" he asked, really wanting to know.

"He… came to me when I was a child. I think he knew that all of this was going to happen… even back then." the Skræling replied with a heavy sigh at the end.

"Oh… well, you heard what he said. That scroll is somewhere in this forest and we need to find it." the Sleg reminded with a determined expression and he pumped his shotgun so two shells were ready to fire in the chambers.

Siômo nodded as he kept a firm grip on his Viking sword and double edged tomahawk. The two men looked around the dead forest a little more before they started walking in a seemingly random direction. They were both wondering why they were brought to Necropolis in the first place instead of just being told where to go, but there was no way to get an answer until they found that teleportation scroll.

As they walked through the dead forest, they began to notice that a few strange objects could be seen hanging from the trees. It was too dark to see what they were exactly, so Reptantis took out his flashlight again and turned it on.

The Sleg pointed the light at one of the hanging objects and both men gasped in surprise when they saw what looked like the corpse of an anthromorphic cat or cheetah hanging from the tree.

The corpse looked like it was a few days old and it smelled putrid from sitting out in the open for so long. Thanks to the light wind, the corpse was softly swaying from the rope around its neck.

"This place is a nightmare…" Siômo commented with horror in his voice as he and his companion took a step back from the suicide victim.

Reptantis directed his flashlight away from the corpse, only to see a few more corpses hanging from other trees around them. He was about to voice his unease, but he stopped when they both heard the sound of multiple wings flapping behind them.

The duo quickly turned around to see what looked like four skulls flying towards them. These skulls resembled those from a human, but they had fangs and their eye sockets were glowing blue. They each sported black bat wings on both sides of the skull and they were flying directly towards the two men.

The Skull-Bats screeched and hissed as they approached the two armed men. Reptantis took aim with his shotgun and squeezed the trigger, but the undead creatures easily dodged the wide blast of lethal pellets. It didn't take long for them to reach the two companions, but Siômo just barely knocked one of them to the ground with the broad end of his Viking sword.

Before the skull could flap its wings to fly away again, the muscular native stabbed it between the eyes with his sword. Its eye sockets ceased to glow and its wings went limp, signifying that it was dead.

Reptantis growled in pain when one of the Skull-Bats bit into his shoulder and he started bashing the back of the skull with the butt of his shotgun. It finally let go and attempted to fly away, but the Sleg shot it out of the sky before it could get too far.

As they fought the more annoying than threatening enemies, more Skull-Bats began to fly towards them by the dozens. The two men noticed this and glanced at one another.

"There's too many of these little bastards!" Reptantis shouted as he used his shotgun as a melee weapon and bashed one of the flying creatures to the ground.

"I know! We need to flee!" Siômo replied loudly before he started running in a random direction with his companion close behind him.

The Skull-Bats screeched angrily as they began to give chase. The two companions glanced over their shoulders occasionally as they ran to see the glowing pairs of blue eyes in the darkness, but they kept running no matter what. After awhile however, the screeching stopped and they couldn't hear the sound of flapping wings.

"I… I think we can stop now." Reptantis commented shakily as they ran and they gradually slowed down to a stop.

They rested their hands on their knees and slouched as they panted from both the adrenaline rush and the running. They've dealt with various dangers before, but this was unlike anything either of them has ever experienced before. This place filled their very souls with dread and despair.

"This place is evil…" the Skræling mumbled quietly as his dark brown eyes slowly looked up at his scaled companion.

"Yeah… I hope we find that damn scroll soon." the Sleg replied with a nod of agreement.

Reptantis shined his flashlight around the area and was relieved when he didn't see any bodies hanging from the trees around them. He and Siômo started walking again, but they made sure to pay more attention to their surrounding so they wouldn't be snuck up on like earlier. They were slightly surprised to see what looked like the edge of a cliff to their left however and they looked closely at it.

The edge stopped abruptly and it seemed to be fairly steep. They couldn't even see the bottom, just more of the black void.

"I guess that four armed skeleton was telling the truth. We really are on a floating island." Reptantis commented with a quiet sigh.

Siômo was about to comment, but he stopped when they both noticed a pair of glowing blue eyes in the distance. The Sleg shined his flashlight at the eyes, and they both gasped at what they saw.

There was a skeleton of a large dragon flying through the air and its eye sockets were glowing bright blue. The creature must've been at least twice as big as the Pteranodons they rode. It let out a roar as it flew above them, but it didn't make any hostile movements towards them, much it their relief. The Bone Dragon didn't seem to be interested in them at all.

"Now I've seen everything." Reptantis commented flatly as the skeletal creature roared again and flew off into the darkness, most likely to another island.

"I have a feeling that this land will have you stand corrected." Siômo commented as he shook his head and looked around again.

The muscular native thought he saw something in the darkness and tapped the Sleg's shoulder with his hand. His companion aimed the flashlight where he was looking, revealing a dirt path that they could follow.

"This may lead us to the teleportation scroll." the Skræling commented with a look of determination, wanting to leave this dreadful place.

"It could also lead us to our deaths… but it's not like we have another choice." Reptantis replied with a groan.

The two men began to walk down the eerie path and only the sounds of their footsteps could be heard. The forest was strangely quiet, making them both feel very uneased. They almost preferred fighting some kind of monster than dealing with this dead silence where they could be ambushed at any given moment.

After awhile of walking, the dirt under their feet was replaced with a stone brick path and the trees between the path got more and thicker with death foliage. They both noticed that the path was leading them slightly upwards and there were occasionally stair-like steps they had to climb.

Reptantis kept his flashlight shining in front of them so they could see where they were going, but everything else was submerged in almost pure darkness. The stone path eventually ended at a large clearing with a stone ground and a pedestal on the other side of the clearing. The Sleg shined his light on the pedestal and they could easily see the scroll they were searching for.

"It can't be this easy." the Sleg mumbled as they both looked around the area, only being met with darkness and silence.

"I agree. This is obviously a trap." Siômo replied as he rubbed his bearded chin in thought, wondering how they should approach this.

"Well, we can't just stand here all day. I suggest you stay here while I go over there to see just how close I can get without something happening." Reptantis suggested with his usual guttural voice.

"Are you sure that you are willing to put yourself at risk like that?" the Skræling asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes. Don't worry, I trust you to keep me safe." his scaly companion replied with a smirk and he replaced his shotgun in favor for his pistol so he could easily shoot while holding the flashlight.

The bearded native nodded with a light chuckle and took out his plasma cannon. Reptantis looked over at the pedestal and slowly began to walk over to it. He was hoping for the best, but was planned for the worst.

Seconds went by as he approached the scroll and he kept his light pointed at the pedestal. Once he was right in front of it, he holstered his pistol and slowly reached for the scroll. Siômo was very tense as he watched all of this and he had his plasma cannon set on the standard firing mode.

Reptantis rested his three fingered hand on the ancient scroll and carefully looked around, expecting to be attacked. When nothing happened, he wrapped his fingers around the scroll and slowly took it off the pedestal. Once again, nothing happened.

'Is that skeleton thing toying with us?' the Sleg asked in his head as he stuffed the scroll into one of his pouches and shined his flashlight around the area.

"Hurry back here before something bad happens!" Siômo called, feeling very uneased from the whole scene.

Reptantis nodded and rushed over to his ally. Once they were standing side by side however, they heard a hiss in the darkness, startling them both. They looked back over at the pedestal to see glowing red eyes within the darkness.

The Sleg quickly aimed his flashlight at the eyes and they could see what looked like a female standing next to the pedestal. The woman had a curvy body with very pale skin. Her breasts could easily be seen, but all of her body parts from the waist down were covered in dark brown fur. Her head resembled a goat with ram horns and black bat wings could be seen on her back. Sharp claws could be seen at the end of her finger tips and her feet resembled that of a bird of prey.

"Is that thing… Maiden Maria?" Reptantis asked with wide eyes, remembering that Nekromant mentioned that the guardian of the island was named Maria.

The two men aimed their guns at the creature and it took a few steps forward. The bird-like claws on its feet clicked against the stone as it approached.

"Stay back or we will shoot!" Siômo warned, not wanting to fight a woman, even if said woman was an evil looking monster.

Saint Maria didn't heed his warning however and hissed threateningly as she approached them. Once they started to open fire however, she spread her large bat wings and quickly rose into the air.

Reptantis and Siômo immediately stopped shooting because they didn't want to waste their precious ammo and they watched the glowing red eyes soar through the darkened sky.

"Do not fire until she is in clear sight." the bearded native instructed as they loaded fresh clips into their weapons.

Once Maiden Maria was within the flashlight's range, they both took aim, but something happened. She raised her clawed hands and a bright flash of light shot out in all directions, blinding the two men. The light didn't hurt them, but it definitely hurt their eyes.

Taking the opportunity, the monster tackled Siômo and raised her left hand to slice at his face. She let out a roar of pain however when Reptantis blindly fired in her general direction and at least two bullets hit her back. The Skræling quickly used his left hand to unsheathe his sword and he stabbed her through eh chest, earning another roar of pain.

The two men had regained their vision at this point and the Sleg growled as he took proper aim with his pistol. Maiden Maria jumped away from Siômo with a snarl because she tore the sword out of her gullet in the process. She noticed that the Sleg was taking aim with his gun, so she raised her left hand.

All of a sudden, some of the branches from nearby trees shot towards Reptantis and wrapped around his wrists. He growled as the plants forced him to aim upwards and he fired into the air a few times.

The half-Viking saw what was happening and quickly stood up. He grabbed the plasma cannon that he dropped when he was tackled, but instead of using it, he shouldered it and used his right hand to take out his double edged tomahawk.

The monstrous woman noticed the human behind her and was about to have him the same treatment as Reptantis, but the allusive Skræling quickly rolled away from the tree branches that attempted to grab him and he chopped at her shoulder, making her hiss in pain.

Maiden Maria swatted him away with the back of her hand, causing him to fall to the ground. He quickly stood back up however and attempted to stab her with the sword in his left hand. She sidestepped the attack however and she summoned light in her clawed hands to blind him.

Siômo gasped in surprise as the bright, white light blinded him and he had to shield his eyes. The monster was so focused on him that the tree branches holding the Sleg in place loosened slightly.

Thanks to his military training, Reptantis was able to use his pure strength to break his right arm away from the vines, the same pistol that was holding the pistol. He growled as he took careful aim at the monster that was about to kill his friend and he squeezed the trigger.

Maiden Maria roared in pain as Reptantis' bullet pierced through her neck and she immediately started chocking on her own blood. She held her bleeding neck with both hands as she looked at the Sleg who shot her. Not wanting to die, she quickly took flight into the darkness and fled.

The tree branches completely loosened their grip and slithered back to their original positions before the fight. The Sleg ran over to his native ally once he was free.

"Are you okay?" he asked as the Skræling rubbed his eyes to try to get rid of the spots he was seeing.

"Yes, I am aright… thank you." the human assured as he finally stopped rubbing his eyes and he sheathed his weapons.

"That's good. You know, we really deserve to get some female action for everything we've done so far." Reptantis commented jokingly with a smirk.

Siômo laughed at his companion's comment and he watched as the Sleg reached into his pouch and took out the scroll. They both glanced at one another before Reptantis unrolled the parchment and they could clearly see the red symbols on the paper.

"Congratulations… you've found your ticket out of my world." a familiar voice spoke up from the darkness.

The two men quickly turned around and the Sleg shined his flashlight on what spoke to them. Nekromant was standing directly behind them and was looking down at the scroll in their hands.

"You've found my scroll… so I will tell you how to find Awehsohs." the necromancer began as he raised one of his hands slightly. "Awehsohs has been taken to the Lost Land's northern Volcanic Region… at the Sleg's castle. If you wish to go there and successfully save him… then find a way out of the Death Marsh… and travel to the Suspended City. You will find aid there." he explained to them with his eerily dry sounding voice.

"Why can't we just go to the Volcanic Region?" Reptantis asked as he took an involuntary step away from the four armed skeleton.

"Because the Sleg army is now expecting the Son of Stone to barge into their front door to save his brother. Going straight there would result in your deaths." the undead deity explained truthfully.

The two companions thought over his words for a long while before Siômo sighed heavily.

"Fine, we will heed your advice. Now let us return to the Lost Land." he demanded with a heavy frown.

"As you wish, Son of Stone. Just remember one thing… I will be watching every step you make." Nekromant stated calmly before the two men disappeared in a bright flash of sickly green light, returning Reptantis and Siômo to the Death Marsh.


	15. Don't go into the Water

**Kwai kwai nidobak! This chapter is going to introduce one of my personal favorite pre-history animals, so I'm pretty happy to be writing this. I've done a lot of research on what our planet was like before there were any humans to get this right and I've really learned a lot of interesting facts. If you readers have any interesting animals from pre-history that you wanna see in this story, then don't hesitate to let me know. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 15: Don't go into the Water

There was a bright, sickly green flash of light within the temple of the Death Marsh. The entire dark room where the original teleportation was in lit up from the light, but when the light faded away, Siômo and Reptantis were standing where they were before being taken away to Necropolis.

The two men looked around the environment they were in and quickly recognized it as the temple. They noticed that they didn't have the teleportation scroll anymore, but they couldn't say that they wanted to keep it anyway.

"Do you think that Nekromant was telling the truth? Should we go to the Suspended City?" the Sleg questioned with a heavy frown, not sounding too thrilled about going to that city.

"It is the only direction we have been given. TarKeen told us that this place would guide us to Awehsohs, so I believe that we should take Nekromant's advice." Siômo replied with a light sigh at the end.

Reptantis mumbled something quietly to himself, but the Skræling didn't hear him. They heard the sound of stone sliding against stone and they looked to the side of the room to see a part of the wall sliding outwards, revealing sunlight.

The two men unholstered their weapons just in case and slowly walked towards the open door. When they got close enough to see what was outside, they noticed that eth door led to the swamp outside. They glanced at one another before stepping out of the temple and the dusty atmosphere was replaced with fresh air.

The duo carefully looked around just in case there were more statues or skeletons, but they saw no threats around them. Just to be safe, Reptantis readied his shotgun and Siômo took out his plasma cannon.

"Which way should we go?" the native asked curiously, wanting to leave the Death Marsh as soon as possible.

"Well, the fastest way out would be to go west of here, but that would lead us in the exact opposite direction we need to go. In order to get to the Suspended City, we need to go east and cross the River of Souls. In order to do that, we'll have to travel directly through the Death Marsh." the Sleg answered as he pointed towards the east.

The Skræling groaned quietly, but didn't openly complain. They began to walk into the marshes together, heading east. They kept their weapons at the ready at all times just in case anything tried to attack them. After what they experienced not long ago, they were pretty on edge at the moment.

"How far is this 'River of Souls?'" Siômo asked curiously as they walked through the thick foliage and muddy ground.

"I have no idea. I don't know the swamps as much as I know the jungle." Reptantis replied honestly with a light sigh.

The bearded native mentally cursed in his own language, but he didn't comment. They continued walking for a few minutes and they eventually heard the sound of a river ahead of them. They quickened their pace slightly, but not too much so they could avoid making a lot of noise to attract predators,

The two men finally made it out of the trees to see a large river flowing towards the south and the ground was covered in muddy sand between the trees and the water. What made them uneased however was the lack of animals. All animals needed water to survive, so why weren't there any drinking from this river?

"I do not like this." the Skræling commented as they slowly approached the water, which was calmly flowing downriver.

"Neither do I, but we have to keep going. The only way across the river is to swim." the Sleg replied as he looked up and down the river.

Deciding to just move forward, the two companions approached the water until the tips of their toes were just barely touching the cold water. They cautiously looked around the water before they took another step forward, and then another. When they took their fourth step however, the ground shifted slightly below Reptantis' feet.

"What the…?" the Sleg mumbled as he looked down at the murky water.

The sand under them began to rise and they immediately ran out of the water, now knowing that something was under there. When they turned around to see what it was, they saw what looked like a skinny, yet large scorpion stinger sticking out of the water.

"Oh shit…" Reptantis mumbled with wide, horrified eyes.

The stinger moved closer and closer to the shore until the creature that possessed the tail showed itself.

This creature was none other than a Mixopterus, a colossal Sea-Scorpion. The creature was the size of a fully grown man and its exoskeleton was dark gray, almost black. Its tail was long and skinny, but ended with a thin stinger that it had raised over its body, much like a normal scorpion. It had three legs on each side of its body, but the four in the front were skinny while the two back legs were thick. It also possessed four arms; the two that were close to its face were small while the other two were much larger. Instead of pincers, the arms were littered with needle-like spines. Lastly, there were two black eyes on its head that were black and beady.

Both men took a few steps back and pointed their guns at the large arthropod as it slowly approached them. The monstrous creature raised it is arms threateningly at them, so Reptantis opened fire with hi shotgun. The pellets spread away from each other as they soared through the air until they connected with the animal's head and arms, causing the limbs to explode with blue colored blood.

The Mixopterus went limp on then muddy sand and its raised tail fell to the ground with a thud. Siômo and the Sleg lowered their weapons slightly, but they were still on edge. The water in the river shifted again and the two companions' eyes widened when they saw at least two dozens of the monstrous animals emerge from the water, each varying in size. Some were about the size of an infant while others were even bigger than the first one.

One of the smaller Sea-Scorpions tried to rush toward them, but the armed Skræling quickly took aim with his plasma cannon and squeezed the trigger. The blue plasma bolt quickly pierced into the smaller creature and it went still as the area around its eyes melted in on itself.

The animals each raised their spined arms and their stingers as they brawled towards the two men. Reptantis pumped his gun a few times to ready more shotgun shells before he squeezed the trigger. This caused one of the medium sized Mixopterus' to completely explode in a mass of blue blood and gore.

Siômo switched to his plasma cannon's third firing mode and shot one of the larger creatures with an electrified plasma bolt. The ancient arthropod trembled uncontrollably as it was relentlessly shocked and the electricity channeled into other Sea-Scorpions around them. Their internal organs were literally being melted from the inner heat of the plasma and energy. They eventually collapsed onto the sand, but other Sea-Scorpions just kept coming out of the water and crawled towards Siômo and Reptantis.

After awhile of shooting, one of the Mixopterus' got really close to the Skræling and it pinched its two largest arms around one of his legs, causing the sharp spines to dig into his leg. The man yelled in pain as he instinctively tried to kick the creature away, but it held an iron grip.

Reptantis noticed that the Sea-Scorpion was about to stab his friend with its stinger, so he rushed forward and curb stomped on its back, making it release the native. Before it could attempt to attack again, the Sleg quickly stepped away from it and shot it with his shotgun, killing it instantly.

"Odin's breath, that was close. Thank you." Siômo said gratefully as he panted lightly and stared at the dangerous river.

Reptantis just nodded and looked at the other Mixopterus' that were approaching them. He got an idea that would be risky, but he decided to try it. Quickly, he slung his shotgun over his shoulder and took out a grenade. Spikes ejected out of the sides of it and he quickly threw it towards the advancing Sea-Scorpions.

The grenade stuck to one of the creature's backs and it flinched slightly from the spikes digging into its exoskeleton. After about a second or two, the grenade exploded and killed at least six of the Mixopterus' and a few others had some of their limbs blown off.

The explosion must've scared the remaining Sea-Scorpions quickly rushed back into the safety of the river. Unfortunately, there were still a lot left alive within the water and the two companions needed to get across the river.

"Well, what should we do now?" the bearded native asked as he sat down on the ground and used a strip of leather to cover the wound on his leg to hopefully stop the bleeding and keep it from getting infected.

"Um… that is a good question." Reptantis replied as he rubbed his chin in thought with his three fingered hand.

They both thought about their options, but that explosion earlier gave the Skræling an idea. He secured his plasma cannon onto his back, only to take out his wooden bow. His companion watched with interest as he took an explosive arrow out of his leather quiver and he slowly pulled the string back.

With a heavy breath to calm his nerves, Siômo released the bowstring and the explosive arrow flew into the water where he expected the Sea-Scorpions were hiding. The arrowhead exploded loudly when it hit the surface of the sand, causing a large amount of water to fly up into the air.

Once the water began to settle again, blue blood and a few of the Mixopterus' body parts could be seen rising to the surface.

"I suggest we quickly swim across before a predator smells the blood." the half-Viking suggested as he put away his bow and took off his shoes so he could swim more easily.

"This is gonna end badly." the Sleg mumbled to himself as he got ready to run into the water.

Once they felt like they were both ready, they began to sprint down the muddy beach and into the cold water. They cringed as they stepped on the Sea-Scorpions' corpses, but they didn't stop for anything.

It didn't take long for the water to get so deep that they were forced to start swimming. It would take them awhile to reach the other side of the river and they were worried that the blood from both the Sea-Scorpions and Siômo's wound would attract some kind of predator or sea monster.

Unknown to them both, a large animal was swimming in the water under them. This creature was in the shape of what most people in modern times would refer to as the Loch Ness Monster. The creature swimming below the water was an Elasmosaurus.

The Elasmosaurus was at least fourteen meters in length, much larger than the average human. Its smooth skin was dark gray, but not as dark as the Sea-Scorpions' exoskeletons. This creature's eyes were also white with black slits going down the middle. Its underbelly was a lighter shade of gray and its mouth was filled with long, needle-like teeth.

The sea creature let out a whale-like moan as it swam and it was loud enough to be heard above the surface of the water. The two companions easily heard the noise and they nervously looked at each other as they swam.

"Swim faster, Siômo!" Reptantis shouted loudly before he started to swim as fast as he possibly could.

Taking his advice to heart, the native swam as fast as he could as well. They were over halfway across the river now and they knew that they needed to quickly get to the other side. They heard the whale-like moan again, except it sounded closer this time.

Siômo gasped loudly as he felt something brush against his leg and they both saw the silhouette of the large Elasmosaurus below them. It was directly under them now and it was only a matter of time before it decided to attack.

As if on cue, it shifted so it was facing upwards and it began to swim towards them. Thinking quickly, Reptantis stopped swimming forward and took out his combat knife. The native didn't realize that his friend stopped, so he kept swimming towards land. The beast of the sea seemed to notice that the Sleg stopped, so it focused on him.

The Elasmosaurus opened its mouth to snatch up the Sleg, but he quickly shifted his body so that it just barely missed him. The creature's head and part of its neck shot out of the water and snapped its jaws shut in the air.

Siômo didn't dare stop until he reached the muddy sand and he fell to his knee, panting. He looked back at the river and he watched as the monster lowered its head to look at the Sleg below it.

"Reptantis!" the Skræling shouted in alarm as he stumbled up.

The Sleg ignored his ally's cries and stared up at the extremely intimidating creature that was towering over him. Not wanting his friend to die, the native quickly took out his bow and an explosive arrow. He took aim as he pulled back the string and he released the arrow.

The arrow quickly hit the side of the sea monster's face and it roared as the explosive detonated upon impact. It waved its head around in the air, causing its blood to fly in multiple directions. Its hide protected it from the full scale blast, but a large portion of the left side of its face was now bleeding and the face muscles could easily be seen.

Before Siômo could get another shot off, the Elasmosaurus quickly dived into the water and its faint silhouette could be seen circling under Reptantis, most likely waiting to strike again. The Sleg realized this and quickly bit down on the handle of his knife to hold it place. He then began to swim towards land again.

He kept swimming as the creature followed him beneath the water and the Skræling kept his bow at the ready at all times. The Sleg was so close to land now, but the monster beneath him began to swim upwards again.

Realizing this grim fact, Reptantis took his knife out of his mouth and prepared for the worst. Just when the Elasmosaurus was about to bite into him, the Sleg actually swam down and miraculously stabbed into its eye.

The sea monster flinched from the attack, accidentally forcing the knife to cut across its face and it swam away.

"Moji… (Shit.)" the bearded native murmured with amazed eyes as he watched his reptilian ally swim towards the land and walk out of the water, still holding his bloody knife.

"Thanks… for the help…" Reptantis said gratefully between heavy pants and he flicked some of the blood off of his blade.

"Um, no problem." Siômo replied before he looked up at the sky to see that the sun was starting to go down. "I suggest we find a safe place to rest of the night." he told his companion.

"Yeah… let's just climb a tree or something." the Sleg replied with a nod of agreement.

With that said, both men walked together into the swamp to find a place to sleep. They've had a long day and all they wanted to do was rest.

They walked through the marsh with extreme caution. After awhile, they found a suitable tree they could sleep on and they quickly climbed up to the tree branches high above the ground. They're timing was good because it was night by the time they reached the highest point they could climb. The only thing left to worry about now was the persistent mosquitoes.

"Damn bugs…" Reptantis grumbled after he caught a mosquito and crushed it with his bare hand.

"I wish I had some sage to burn. That usually keeps the insects away." Siômo commented as he waved his hand in front of his face to swat a moth away from him.

"Well, I'll tell you what, once we get to the Suspended City, we won't have to deal with these fucking bugs anymore." the Sleg replied with a growl at the end because he heard a bug buzzing near his earhole.

"What is the Suspended City exactly?" the human asked curiously, trying to focus on something other than the merciless bugs.

"Oh, right… I forgot that you don't know about the Lost Land. The Suspended City, also known as Chasm City, is one of the humans' capital cities and it's in a large chasm… in the air to be precise. You see, the city uses massive tethers to keep it in the air and it's one of the most advanced cities in the whole Lost Land. I've never been there myself because the Chasm Army would shoot me on sight, but now I have no choice other than to go there." Reptantis explained with a sigh at the end.

"They will not shoot you, I promise. If they do, then I will shoot back." Siômo promised with a serious frown.

The Sleg was actually kinda touched by the native's words. Even in the Sleg army, no one ever stood up for him before.

"Thank you, Siômo. I appreciate that." he said gratefully as he looked down at the swampy ground below them.

"You are welcome. Goodnight, Reptantis." the half-Viking replied before he laid down on the large tree branch and closed his eyes to sleep.

The Sleg smiled at his ally before he turned around so his back was to him and he closed his reptilian eyes. All he wanted to do was rest after those near death experiences he and his human ally experienced throughout the day.

'I'm gonna have to find Siômo a girlfriend once all of this is done.' Reptantis thought to himself before he dozed off and he began to dream about his past in the Sleg army.


	16. Död Kärr

**Kwai kwai everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. My computer crapped out on me and I don't know if I can fix it. I still don't have a new computer because I can't afford one right now, but my friend, Warrior of Spectra, is making it so I can type again via PMing. It'll probably take me a little longer to post chapters now until I can either get a new computer or get someone to fix my broken computer. Anyway, remembers leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 16: Död Kärr

In the volcanic mountain range of the Lost Land, the Sleg castle stood tall despite on one of the highest mountains and it's tower made it appear the mountain appear taller than it was. All of the Sleg soldiers were either patrolling the area or carrying out a task of some sort.

Within the castle was Lord Dominus and he was walking down a hallway with a red carpet underneath his bare feet. He kept his back straight as he walked and his crimson red cape flapped behind him as he walked. There were two hulkish Slegs wearing black armor and they were both armed with triple barreled miniguns.

They silently walked down the hall until they reached the end and they now stood before a large door. The Sleg leader's straight face turned into an annoyed frown and he released a low toned growl from the back of his throat. He really didn't want to go in, but he also wanted to get this over with.

Lord Dominus pushed the large door open to see a large table with Slegs of various different shapes and sizes sitting around it. The room was spacious and there was a large map of the world on the wall to his left.

When the Slegs at the table realized who had just entered the room, they each stood up in respect. Lord Dominus completely ignored them however and made his way to the largest seat in the room before sitting down. His two guards followed him to the seat and stood protectively behind him. Once he was seated, the others sat down as well and stared at him.

"Welcome, my lord. Are you ready to begin the meeting?" a female Sleg with a scratchy voice and yellowish scales questioned respectfully.

"...Yes. What is yo be discussed first?" their leader replied with a heavy frown; he obviously didn't want to be there.

"I believe we should begin with the issue regarding the Son of Stone." a skinny male Sleg with red scales and a glass eye answered with a slight bow of his head.

"Yes, the Son of Stone is something that needs to be addressed. We've learned that the Son of Stone has an ally... and that ally is one of our soldiers." a hulkish Sleg wearing black and red armor informed everyone.

"Who is helping the Son of Stone?" Lord Dominus questioned with an emotionless to e of voice.

"A Sleg by the name of Commander Reptantis. We have eye witness accounts of him openly helping the Son of Stone and he even killed a few of our own." the female Sleg from before explained with here eyes narrowed slightly.

"I know Commander Reptantis. Why would he betray us to help that pathetic human?" the Sleg with a glass eye asked with an appalled expression.

"That 'pathetic human' has a larger body count than most humans and from what I heard, took down a whole squad of our soldiers with just a hatchet." a muscular Sleg with green scales replied bitterly, showing some respect towards their human enemy.

"Yes, we shouldn't underestimate this human. Where is he and Commander Reptantis now?" Lord Dominus asked calmly.

"They are in the Death Marsh, sir. They were riding on Pteranodons and they ended up crash landing within the swamps during a fight with our jets. Our pilots informed me that the Son of Stone and Commander Reptantis were milled, but some others claim that they are still very much alive." another muscular Sleg with green scales spoke up.

"The Death Marsh is a dangerous place. I highly doubt they'll survive ling there. That place is evil; filled with dark magic, plenty of predators, and even monsters if you believe the legends." the female Sleg stated flatly.

Lord Dominus scoffed at this and turned his head to look at the large global map on the wall. His yellow reptilian eyes stared at the area labeled "Death Marsh" and he seemed to he in deep thought.

"They're not dead. The Son of Stone's brother speaks highly of him. They'll most likely find their way way out of the swamps in a few days." he said with an emotionless voice, mostly to himself.

"Whether they are dead or not, do you think we should carry out our attack on the Suspended City?" the hulkish Sleg in black and red red armor questioned.

Lord Dominus took a moment to really think about this. They had been planing to invade the human city for months now and conquering that city would be a major advantage for his army. If they were to take control of the city, then they would have easy access to the human city, Galyanna.

"We will continue as planned and invade the Suspended City in two days." their leader finally spoke, gaining nods of understanding from all the other Slegs at the table.

"Vey well, my lord. We shall commence the attack in two days as planned." the hulkish Sleg from before replied with a pleased smile.

The black scaled Sleg just nodded before looking at the rest of the Slegs.

"Is there anything that needs to be discussed?" he questioned witha. Frown, hoping that there wouldn't be.

"Yes actually. I think it would be appropriate to talk about that human child that you keep locked away in the old chef's room." the female Sleg spoke up, earning an annoyed groan from their leader.

"I agree. What do you plan on doing with the child?" one of the male Slegs who hasn't spoken up yet asked.

"Keeping Awehsohs in our custody would gain a tactical advantage. He is the Son of Stone's younger brother, so he'll come here to get his brother back. We can set up plenty of traps and ambushes before he and Reptantis arrive." their leader explained simply.

"I say we just kill the brat and be done with it." a muscular Sleg wrh dark green scales grumbled.

Lord Dominus looked to his right to seethe the Sleg who spoke was only sitting one seat away from him.

"You think it would be best to kill Awehsohs, general?" he questioned calmly.

"Yes. Humans don't deserve to live and this boy is jus taking up space." the general answered with a slight frown.

Lord Dominus lightly nodded before he slowly grabbed a bottle of wine. All of a sudden, he smashed the bottle on the table, shattering the lower portion. Quickly, he pointed he broken end at the surprised general and thrusted the broken glass into his throat.

The general gasped and started gurgling loudly as he began to drown in his own blood. He attempted to stop the bleeding by placing his three fingered hands on his leader's hand to try to pull it out, but the black scaled Sleg kept an iron grip.

Lord Dominus growled with barred teeth as he watched the general fall to the floor and die on the spot. Once he was sure that the general was dead, he gently placed the broken bottle on the table and looked at the his nervous company.

"Anything else we need to discuss?" he questioned with a cold glare.

They all just shook their heads, no, and their leader stood up. They watched as he shifted his shoulders so his cape was covering most of his body below his neck.

"Good. Meeting adjourned." Lord Dominus grumbled before he spun around and walked out of the room with his two hulkish guards close behind him.

The black scaled Sleg remained silent as he made his way through the castle with his guards. After awhile of walking, they made it to a door at the end of a hallway that had another hulkish Sleg guarding it.

Before he entered the room, Lord Dominus turned to face one of the guards that had been following him.

"I want you to go to Awehsoh's room and keep watch outside the room. Kill anyone who tries to enter the room." he ordered sternly.

"Yes sir." the hulkish Sleg stated with a very guttural voice before he walked off to carry out this task.

Once the Sleg was out of eyesight, Lord Dominus and turned around and opened the door. He sighed heavily before he entered his quarters and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Within the Death Marsh of the southern Lost Land, Reptantis and Siômo were cautiously making their way through the swamp. It was now mid morning and they wanted to get out of the Death Marsh as soon as possible.

The bearded native was using his father's Viking sword to cut away any foliage that got in their way while Reptantis stayed close behind him with his shotgun as the ready.

They were very tense right now because as they walked, they noticed the skeletal remains of dead dinosaurs on the sides of the path they were taking. The bones seemed to have been their for a long time, but something about them made the two men very tense.

"This is an evil place." Siômo stated with a heavy frown as he brushed some hair and his feather out of his eyes.

Reptantis remained silent, but he nodded and kept his reptilian eyes alert. They could see more and more bones and skeletons as they walked and they even walked past the remains of a large Brachiosaurus.

The two men stopped and tensed up when they heard a deep sounding squawk up ahead; followed by several more. All of a sudden, six Ostrich-like birds ran out of the foliage and towards them.

These creatures were flightless birds with long, thick legs. Thy possessed muddy brown feathers that covered most of their bodies and their bright orange beaks were short, but looked very sharp. There was also blood covering their beaks and the claws on their feat. This creature was none other than the Phorusrhacidaes, also known as Terror Birds.

These nine foot tall creatures squawked furiously as they sprinted towards the two men. Reptantis quickly raised his shotgun so that he was looking down the barrel.

With a squeeze of the trigger, he fired the shotgun and hit one of the flightless birds in the chest. It screeched in agony as the pellets ripped through its flesh and it fell to the muddy ground.

The other five Terror Birds continued to run towards hunger in their eyes. Siômo held his Viking sword in both hands so he could put more power into each swing.

Reptantis shot another one of those birds in the chest and it died, but the remaining four were now close enough to hit them. The Skræling roared as he swung his sword in an upward motion and spiced open the Phorusrhacidae's stomach open.

He used the momentum to his advantage and swung his sword downwards next before the creature could retaliate. It squawked in pain and stumbled back as it's gullet bled heavily.

Another Terror Bird attempted to slice it's claws into the human, but he quickly jumped to the side to avoid the attack. Another gunshot from Reptantis' shotgun was heard and the animal that just tried to attack Siômo dropped to the ground with various small bullet holes in it's back.

"Thanks!" the bearded native called as he quickly stood up and thrusted his sword into the Terror Bird with two large cuts in it's gut.

It attempted to peak at him with its deadly beak when it was stabbed and it fell to Siômo's right with a loud thump. He quickly pulled out his sword and the two men glared at the two remaining birds.

The Terror Birds crouched down a little as if they were about to charge, but they stopped all of a sudden and started squawking loudly. The teo men watched with confused expressions as the two birds turned tail and ran as fast as they could away.

"Well... this cannot be good." Siômo stated with a frown, knowing that animals wouldn't run away like that unless a predator more powerful than hem was around.

They could suddenly feel the ground tremble in short bursts and Reptatis' eyes widened. He quickly started to reload his shotgun and Siômo sheathed his sword so that he could take out his plasma cannon.

The trembling became more noticeable after a few short moments until one of the larger skeletons broke apart as an Tyrannosaurus Rex burst through it. The large dinosaur roared loudly and the slight wind caused the brown feathers on it's back to sway a little.

"Run and shoot!" Reptantis shouted loudly before he quickly took aim and squeezed the trigger.

Most of the pellets hit the side of the T-Rex and it looked directly at them. The two men quickly spun around and started running as the large dinosaur began to give chase.

Siômo kept his plasma cannon on the third firing mode and he occasionally spun around to shoot the creature a few times. The electrified plasma shot trough its system and actually caused it to stop and tremble for a few short seconds before continuing the chase.

This worked to their advantage however, because even though the T-Rex could tun faster, Siômo's advanced gun could slow it down. They kept running as fast as they could and the Skræling kept shooting at it and they soon noticed that there were less and less dinosaur skeletons around them. The ground was also starting to become a lot less muddy.

The two men realized that they were gradually distancing themselves from the Death Marsh, but the roaring dinosaur behind them didn't lighten their moods in the slightest.

After awhile of running, something happened that made their spirits drop. They had ran right into a dead end. There were large rocks in front of the. And two their sides. The only possible exit was being blocked by the T-Rex and the rocks were too steep to climb. The dinosaur led them their on purpose.

The two men skidded to a stop and looked around them with horror, realizing that they were trapped. The T-Rex stopped running and slowly approached its prey.

The duo looked at one another with wide eyes before they turned to face the large dinosaur that had them trapped as if they were rats and it was the cat.

"I'm not going down without a fight." Reptantis growled as he took ou his last grenade and the spikes ejected out of the sides.

With that said, he reared back and tossed the explosive at the T-Rex. Its reflexes were better than they expected however and it quickly moved to the side so the grenade wouldn't stick to it.

The explosive detonated all of a sudden and the large dinosaur shreiked in pain as the shrapnel and explosion hit it's side. Because it moved to the side however, the explosion didn't hurt it nearly as bad as it would've if the grenade stuck to it.

"Oh dammit.." the Sleg mumbled with wide eyes as the T-Rex glared a them and started to approach them again.

It opened it's mouth wide open when it started to get close enough to take a bite. They stared a it's cavernous maw and could easily see that it was salivating with hunger.

Siômo raised his plasma cannon to take one final shot, but they all stopped when loud gunshots were heard. The large dinosaur roared in pain as clouds of blood sprayed from it's back.

Reptantis and Siômo quickly looked up into the air to see that a flying vehicle was hovering over them and some laser guns on the underside of the ship was shooting at the T-Rex. The ship resembled a Sleg airship, but it was much darker in color and slightly rounder.

The Tyrannosaurus roared in pain and glared up at the airship above. It attempted to bite at it, but the vehicle quickly moved upwards so it was out of reach.

Siômo decided to take advantage of this distraction and he slung his plasma cannon over his shoulder. He quickly took out his wooden bow and grabbed an explosive arrow from his leather quiver.

Not waisting any time, the Skræling pulled the string back and took careful aim. He watched as the dinosaur snapped it's jaws towards the ship in an attempt to pull i out of the sky. He exhaled deeply and released the arrow.

The explosive arrow whizzed through the air before it pierced into the T-Rex's eye. Before it could even let out a roar, the explosive arrowhead detonated with a fiery explosion.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex immediately fell to the ground with a loud crash and everyone could see that half of it's face had been blown away by the explosion.

After a few moments, the airship slowly lowered to the ground and hovered just a foot or two in the air. A ramp lowered to the ground and a squad of eight human soldiers stormed out.

These humans were much different than the ones the duo previously encountered back at the Sleg camp. Thees people were wearing full body armor that had white padding mare out of metal on crucial parts of the body while the fabric was dark gray. Their white helmets covered their entire heads and the only thing that allowed hem to see was a yellow tinted glass visor going across the face. Some of the soldiers were carrying shotguns, but others were carrying some kind of laser rifle that Siômo hasn't seen before.

Just when the duo were starting to relax, the soldiers pointed their weapons at them and formed a circle around the two men.

"Drop your weapons and get on the ground!" one of the soldiers yelled loudly, his voice muffled behind his helmet.

You've got to be..." Reptantis started.

One of the soldiers suddenly rushed forward and smashed the stock of his rifle against the back of the Sleg's head, knocking him out cold.

Siômo gasped a the sudden violence and raised his plasma cannon to shoot the soldier who hit his friend. Two soldiers quickly tackled him the ground and struggled to hold him in place.

"Leave us be! We have done nothing to you!" the Skræling shouted furiously as he tried desperately to get free, but the two soldiers kept him down.

"Not a chance, traitor." the soldier who spoke earlier spat with disgust as he stood over him.

The soldier then raised his boot and smashed it against Siômo's head, knocking him out as well.p


	17. The Hawk and the Lizard

** Kwai kwai nidobak! A lot has happened in the last chapter and a lot more will happen in this one. for those of you who have never played the Turok games or read the comics, these next few chapters might surprise you. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 17: The Hawk and the Lizard

Siômo groaned as he began to wake up and he had a pounding headache. He barely remembered what happened before he was knocked out. The T-Rex and the human soldiers were easily remembered, but he couldn't remember anything after he was hit on the head.

The half-Viking slowly opened his dark brown eyes to see that he was in a dark room with metal walls and a light was being shined over him. He looked down to see that he was restrained in an uncomfortable chair that was bolted to the floor.

"Ugh... where am I? Where is Reptantis?" the bearded native asked groggily as he slowly looked around.

"Your Sleg friend is in the next room." a male voice answered within the darkness.

A few more lights in the room turned on all of a sudden and three humans could be seen standing in front of the restrained Skræling. Two of them looked exactly like the soldiers who knocked him out, but the human in the middle was 't wearing the helmet and he seemed to be unarmed.

It was still too dark to see the man's facial features, but Siômo could tell that the man's skin was pale white.

"What do you want from me? Why have you brought me and Reptantis to this place?" the Abenaki demanded with a straight face.

"Since you're a human like us, I'll answer that question. You're in the Suspended City prison. You have been taken here for treason against the human race." the man explained with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Treason? No, you don't understand. Reptantis wishes to help humanity, and we were told to come to the Suspended City." Siômo explained calmly with a straight face.

"Yeah... sure. Who told you to come here? Dominus? Were you told to come here so you could spy on us?!" the man questioned as his voice slowly raised in volume.

Before either of them could say anything, there was a haste knocking at the door that caught everyone's attention. One of the soldiers walked over to the door and pressed a glowing red button that was on a panel next to the door. The metal door slid open, allowing more light into the toom, and an old man could be seen entering the interrogation room.

This old man was wearing light gray robes with a hood that was pulled down. There was also a black strap going diagonally across his torso and it looked like he was wearing black sandals. His skin was pale and wrinkly, and his eyes were a faint green in color. He had short, balding hair that was white, but he also had a very long beard that reached his lower chest

"Stop the interrogation, sergeant. This strange man and his Sleg friend have come to help us." the new arrival stated with a stern tone of voice as he walked into the toom.

"What?! You want us to let them go? I have always respected your input and decisions, but are you sure it's a good idea to let them go?" the man, now identified as a sergeant, asked with a surprised tone

"Yes, I am positive that they are not our enemies. Now let them go and give them back their equipment." the old man replied with a soft yet stern voice.

The sergeant sighed before he looked at the two other soldiers and nodded. They nodded back before they walked over to Siômo and began to undo the straps holding his limbs in place. The one to his right even helped him to his feet.

"Thank you." the Skræling said gratefully once he was up.

"Yeah... well, let's go get your friend and give you your stuff back." the sergeant replied with a frown before he led everyone out of the room.

This room was much brighter than the one Siômo was held in and there was a table that had all of his and Reptantis' equipment. Like the sergeant said, there was a door right next to the one they just came out of.

The old man opened this door and he walked in with one of the soldiers. Siômo decided to take this moment to get his gear. He noticed that the sergeant was glaring at him, but neither of them said a word.

Once the native had holstered all of his weapons and had his pouches strapped to his waist, Reptantis walked out with the two humans by his side. The old man smiled as their "captives" exchanged nods and the Sleg started to take his supplies.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding. We are at war and many of us are rightfully paranoid because of the approaching Sleg army." the old man apologized with a slight bow of his head.

"We accept your apology, but why do you trust us? We do not even know you." Siômo replied with a raised eyebrow as Reptantis got the last of his things.

"Ah... now that is a good question. I should bring you to the Senate though. Come, I'll explain as we go." the old man replied as he gestured towards the exit.

The native man and Sleg looked at one another before they followed the old man out of the room. They walked down a hallway with metal walls for awhile and made a few turns.

"I am known as the Wise Man. I am not part of the Senate of the city, but I am always called to their meetings because my opinions and suggestions tend to be very helpful to our cause." the old man explained as they walked up to a large door that was guarded by human soldiers.

"The legendary Wise Man? You're famous even in the Sleg army." Reptantis commented, feeling honored that he was in the presence of a legend.

The Wise Man chuckled and motioned for the soldiers to open the door. One of them nodded and pulled a lever. With a loud screech, the door slid upwards until it was open.

Siômo's eyes widened as they slowly stepped out of the prison and he stared at the futuristic skyscrapers around them. The buildings were made out of light gray metal and many of them were tall enough to touch the clouds. Many ships could be seen flying through the air and the streets were filled with human people. There were even some domesticated dinosaurs pulling carts and carriages.

"Welcome to the Suspended City, my friends." the Wise Man said with a big smile.

"Never thought I'd step foot in this place." Reptantis commented as he also looked up at the tall buildings.

"I have never seen a place like this before. There is so many things going on at once and your buildings are so... tall." Siômo commented as he took a few steps forward, like a curious child.

"You must have never seen a city before." the Wise Man commented eith an amused chuckle. "Now listen, you two must see the Senate, but i might be best if I go ahead and explain why Reptantis is here with us. Wouldn't want them to overreact to a Sleg's presence." he told them both.

"Before you go, could you tell us why you trust us so easily?" Repantis asked as he turned to face the old man.

The balding human looked around to make sure no one was listening before he motioned for Siômo and Reptantis to come closer.

"I doubt either of you have ever heard of the Goddess, Spectra, have you? You see, she is a mighty dragoness who has created all life. I'm not sure if either of you already have a certain faith you follow, but know that Spectra does exist and she is most likely the creator of whatever Gods or deities you may worship. She speaks to me in my dreams and blessed me with her magic. That's how I know of your quest, Son of Stone." the Wise Man whispered quietly before he took a few steps back.

The duo glanced at one another with skeptical expressions before they looked at the old man again.

"Now, I must go see the Senate. Wait for about an hour or two before you come to us. I'm sure one of the guards will guide you to us. In the mean time, try to relax. You two have earned it." the Wise Man said kindly before he started to walk off, immediately being swallowed up by the crowd.

"Do you think he was telling the truth and that there is a Goddess named Spectra?" Reptantis asked awkwardly as he looked at his tan skinned friend.

"No, the only Gods I believe in are those of the Norse." Siômo replied with a frown

"Well, let's no worry about that now. Let's just look around and see what there is to see.

"Alright, my friend. We shall look around." Siômo replied with a nod.

And with that, the two men walked together in a random direction. They were both amazed at the sites and they looked at all the different buildings. A few of the bystanders were staring at them though, but the duo did their best to ignore them. They didn't care how different they were from everyone else.

After a few minutes of walking, they found themselves at an open market district with various vendors selling their wares.

Siômo and Reptantis approached the vendors, and eventually saw a crowd of people standing around one group of vendors in particular. As the two approached what the group were looking at, the two soon saw a ten year old girl, who had naturally tanned skin much like Siômo, her black hair was loose and she wore jeans and a tank top, the tank top had a emerald dragon on the chest.

In her hands were two balls, one was green, the other was blue, she then threw them into the air, and began to juggle them. The crowd didn't look impressed, that was until two of the balls began to "Multiply", she now juggled four balls. The crowd looked at one another, their interest peaked. The girl smirked, soon she was juggling six balls…then eight…then ten…then TWELVE…soon, to the amazement of the crowd, she was juggling sixteen balls without effort.

She then threw the balls into the air very high…she then struck a waiting pose as the balls flew up into the air. Ten seconds later, she looked up in the air, and tapped her foot lightly, still waiting…and waiting…and waiting…until soon she saw the balls come towards her. She then caught all sixteen balls, and then threw them into the air again, and snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, the balls blew up in the sky, releasing a vast array of blue and green lights, which mysteriously formed into a emerald green and blue design of a dragoness breathing fire into the air. The crowd all clapped for the young girl, who bowed happily to her crowd. Soon, money was being given to her. After she was given the money, she walked over to the vendors in her group, and passed the money out. The vendors all smiled and thanked the girl. The girl then ran up to one of the main vendors, and approached a man with pale skin, blond hair, and green eyes. She smiled at the girl and hugged her briefly. He wore a grey t-shirt, tattered jeans and had a sword strapped to his back with an Emerald jewel on its pommel.

As the two spoke, the blond haired man looked directly in Siômo and Reptantis' direction and smiled happily.

"Hello there, friends!" the man said in a cheerful voice as he and the girl approached. "I suppose you were watching my daughter's magnificent performance?"

The two companions glanced at each other…this man seemed to be a little to…energetic.

"Yes…" Siômo answered, looking at the girl. "She is a skilled juggler…I have never seen such a display."

"Thank you," the young girl said, grinning happily. "Papa taught me."

The father smiled while rubbing his daughter's head.

"You put in the work my dear," he said before looking to the two guests. "Now! How can I help the Son of Stone and his Sleg companion?"

The two quickly tensed when the man said 'Son of Stone'. But the man held up his hand, to calm the two down.

"Yes, how could someone like I, a humble merchant, could've known that?" the man said while smiling lightly. "Tell me, Reptantis, have you ever heard of The Dragon-God named Janus?"

The Sleg eyed the human man with curiosity. He'd heard the name a few times in the past…but never cared much for it.

"Janus is the god of mischief and pranks…and is also the patron to merchants and vendors with a noble cause…" the Sleg answered. "But it is just a tail for children back with the Sleg…there really isn't a dragon-god…nor a creator Goddess named Spectra…there couldn't be."

The man gave a toothy grin and then shook his head.

"Oh my…so much to explain." He said quietly. "Well then, I guess I'll have to say that you're wrong, Reptantis…he is real."

"How so?" Reptantis asked.

"Simple," Janus said, not before his eyes suddenly shifted from a normal green, to an unnatural emerald green color, the eyes became reptilian like, slowly, a emerald jewel appeared on the man's forehead. The two companions looked at the man in shock. The man continued. "I am Janus, The Dragon-God of Mischief and Pranks, and the patron to merchants and vendors with a noble cause."

"Impossible," Siômo said, shocked. "But…you look like a man…"

"Ah yes, my dear friend." Janus said. "As a Dragon-God, and a child of The Goddess Spectra, I am able to alter my appearance at will…as well as live for eternity…this form you see before you, is one of many I can take. To allow myself to enter human city's and settlements, I appear as a human to enter with my caravan and supply relief to those who need it."

"But enough questions," Janus said to the two. "I know that you two are not here to chat to a Dragon-God…I am aware that the two of you are on a quest…to save Siômo's brother."

"How did you…" Siômo began, but was cut off by Janus.

"Know? As I said, knowledge and information is my strong point." Janus said. "I also am aware that you are not from this realm Siômo…as how you originally came from another world, and came here against your own accord."

Siômo nodded briefly, he still wasn't sure if this man was a god or not…but he admitted that the man had a powerful atmosphere around him.

Janus then looked to one of his caravans, his appearance returning to his regular mortal form.

"Joseph, our guests have arrived, I believe you should bring out the gift now." Janus called out to one merchant.

"Yes my lord!" a merchant said, going to the back of a stall. Soon, said merchant walked out, holding out a gun and gave it to his leader before going back to his merchant stand.

Janus then turned to Reptantis and smiled as he held the gun out to the Sleg. Reptantis' eyes widened when he recognized the white gun that was fairly heavy.

"A Flechette gun?" Reptantis' said in awe. Janus handed the gun to the Sleg.

"For you," Janus said. "This should help you in your journey."

Reptantis slowly examined the three barreled gun and seemed to smirk briefly in satisfaction.

"The enemy won't know what hit them." he said.

Janus nodded and looked to Siomo.

"I wish you luck on your journey to find your brother…and I hope the two of you return home soon." Janus said and then looked at Mary and back up at Siômo. "Your people have a wonderful culture…it's a pity that they do not know what the future holds…"

"What do you mean?" Siômo asked, confused. But Janus seemed to smile sympathetically at the warrior.

"I'm afraid, due to my presence…I cannot say anything." Janus said to the human warrior. He then looked to Mary and placed the ten year old on his shoulders. "Farewell my friends…we will not meet again."

Suddenly, in a flash of emerald green light…the supposed Dragon-God of mischief and pranks along with his daughter vanished in front of the two. Siômo and Reptantis looked at one another in confusion…not believing their eyes. But the two merely nodded, and turned around to look for a guard. But as found a guard to take them to the Senate, Siomo wondered what the Dragon-God meant by "It's a pity that they do not know what the future holds…"

But the warrior shook his mind of the thought, and focused on the present.

* * *

Within the dark world known as Necropolis, Nekromant was sitting in his throne within his castle. His skeletal fingers tapped against the armrests as his glowing green eye sockets stared into the darkness. There were two human skeletons standing guard on both sides of his throne and they were each armed with axes and were wearing full body steel plate armor.

A few torches could be seen hanging from the stone walls that helped light the spacious room a little. The flashes of red lightning also lit up the room for a second or two.

All of a sudden, there was a flash of light and TarKeen himself appeared before the necromancer. The hooded seer stared at the undead deity with a straight face as he held his staff.

"I think it was about time you and me finally met." TarKeen stated casually as his cold eyes stared directly into the skeleton's glowing green eye sockets.

"If I wanted to speak to you, I would have contacted you." Nekromant replied calmly with a tad but of anger in his voice. "Why have you come to my realm?" he demanded.

"I had the Son of Stone come here for to test his strength. You didn't think I wouldn't come here as well, did you?" he seer questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, you seemed like a coward to me." the necromancer replied emotionlessly.

TarKeen said nothing in retaliation, but his lips parted to reveal his needle like teeth, showing that he was starting to get angry.

Before either of them could speak again, there was another flash of light. They both turned to look at the now fading light to see what looked like a dragon.

"Alpha…" Nekromant said flatly to the dragon that had just entered his realm, clearly not pleased to see the dragon.

The dragon, now identified as Alpha, had predominantly silver white scales with golden markings across some of the scales. His horns were a golden color and his tail blade was a golden gem which glowed a faint light. On his forehead was a small jewel that was the same color as the gem on the end of his tail. His wings were large in span and his wing membranes seemed to have white feathers on them.

Suddenly, the dragon briefly wrapped his wings around himself, and was then covered in golden and white flames, seconds later; in the place of the dragon was a human man. Wearing a black robe, adorned with light weight golden armor. On the back of his robe was a golden dragoness. Strapped to the back of the man's back was a long golden sword with a silver jewel on it's pommel. The man's hair was dark brown.

This was Alpha's human form.

Alpha looked at the Necromancer with his silver dragon like eyes.

"Mage, I believe it is time we met." Alpha said to The Necromancer. Alpha then eyed TarKeen, Alpha's silver eyes appeared unimpressed. "It seems as though I'm not the only one who came unannounced."

"Ah," TarKeen muttered, feigning amazement. "The first born son of The Goddess Spectra, and king of The Dragon-Gods…"

"Do not toy with me, human." Alpha said, his silver eyes flashing gold briefly. "I have nothing to say to the likes of you." Alpha then looked to the Necromancer and approached the sitting Undead Deity. "I have come to make a point clear to you, Mage."

"Funny," Nekromant muttered. "I have a feeling you and I are aware of the situation…and how your mother's followers are coming into my realm, uninvited…your so called Liberators, have no place here. The souls in this realm rightfully belong to me; they are my servants and warriors. You do not have any right to take them!" Nekromant said angrily at the last part.

Alpha remained expressionless, unafraid of the undead deity.

"Coming from a self-proclaimed 'Deity' who steals the souls and the bodies of the dead and turning them into your personal slaves!" Alpha said at the Necromancer. "You disrupt the order of my mother's creations, it is only right that the Liberators free the souls that you have captured, and guide them back to their respected Afterlife Spirit worlds, where they deserve to enjoy their eternal rest!"

By now, the two were glaring at each other eye to eye. Alpha's eyes flashed gold as he glared into the Necromancer's glowing eye sockets.

"The two of you are acting like squabbling children." TarKeen interrupted, sounding amused.

Alpha turned to TarKeen and approached him.

"I suggest you keep your tongue still, human." Alpha warned in an expressionless tone. "You have as much blood on your hands as the mage."

"At least I am able to help humans, unlike you and your siblings, who all live on their islands in the uncharted parts of a world, and letting the other races fend for themselves." the older human said. "In the end, my advice saves others."

"But causes the suffering of others," Alpha said as he paced around the old human. "You do not care about the people who are affected. I have seen the aftermath of your decisions with people who have no moral center. If went unchecked, your actions would cause the annihilation of a single species. If your so called 'Son of Stone' did not have a companion such as the Sleg, if you manipulated him, then the boy would destroy the Slegs, one of my mother's creations."

"Oh, but you seem to misunderstand." TarKeen said stepping in front of The Dragon-God to the point the old man was in the Drago-God's face. "I do more for mortals than you and your siblings will ever do. If your mother truly sought to save her creations, then she would be the one guiding the Son of Stone. Then perhaps you wouldn't have to worry about genocide. You First Dragons, and even your mother, are too hesitant to involve themselves in mortal affairs."

"It is not the place of a Divine, or an immortal, to interfere with mortal affairs." Alpha said, as he circled TarKeen. "We believe that mortals will make the right decision, and refuse to shape them. My siblings and I live away from mortals to ensure that our views and theirs do not clash…so that way we, the immortals, do not have to clash with the mortals themselves. Do not pretend you care about Mortality."

"Do not make assumptions on matters you know nothing about, dragon. You think that I wish to bring only destruction, when I truly wish to end a damn war. Why do you think I guide the Son of Stone? It is his destiny to end war and to bring peace throughout the very timeline. Maybe if you stopped licking your mother's footsteps, you would realize that." TarKeen explained with a dark glare.

"Do not speak of my mother that way!" Alpha snapped furiously as he walked right up to the robed seer's face.

"I see you two wish to bitch at each other. I would prefer you do this somewhere else." Nekromant spoke up with a calm to e of voice

The Dragon God scoffed at this and glared at both of them.

"We'll continue our discussion elsewhere, Alpha. I find Nekromant's presence... revolting." TarKeen suggested before the tip of his staff lit up and he disappeared in a flash of white light.

Alpha didn't say a word and suddenly disappeared in a multi colored light. Once everything grew dark once more, the Necromancer took out his crystal ball to see if anything interesting was happening in the mortal realms.

** A/N:** **I**** would like to thank Warrior of Spectra for helping me with this chapter. A good portion of this was written by him. The characters Alpha, Janus, and Mary belong to him.**

**Native Pride!**


	18. The Senate

**Kwai kwai Nidobak! A lot of important stuff happened in the last chapter and even more will happen in this one. I think i should say that this story is canon in Warrior of Spectra's series involving the Goddess Spectra. If you wanna learn more about his characters, then I recommend you read his stories. To have things make sense, this story takes place around the same time as his story, The Legend of Spyro: The Forsworn. That's enough of me blabbering, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 18: The Senate

Within the Suspended City, Siômo and Reptantis were following close behind one of the armored soldiers. They asked him to escort them to the Senate earlier and he agreed to do this.

Many of the city's civilians stared at the two men for multiple reasons, but like before, they were ignored.

They followed the armed soldier to a large, white building that was taller than many of the other skyscrapers in the city.

"This is the capital building. Just go in, get to the elevator, and go to the second to top floor. I recommend you two talk to as few people as possible... especially you, Sleg." the soldier informed the duo before he turned around and started to walk away without another word.

The two companions glanced at one another before they looked around the main hall of the skyscraper they were in. The walls were silver in color while the floor was a dark shade of gray.

Many humans wearing formal attire could be seen walking around and a few armed soldiers were standing guard here and there. As Siômo stared at all the unfamiliar sights, Reptantis kept a lookout for the elevator their escort told them about. On e he believed he found it, he tapped his human friend on the shoulder.

"See those double doors across the room? Those lead to an elevator." he explained simply so the Skræling could easily understand.

"Elevator... that is the platform that takes us up and down, correct?" Siômo questioned with.a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Let's head over there before someone gives us trouble... again." the Sleg suggested as his reptilian eyes darted around the room.

The bearded native nodded in agreement before they both made their way to the elevator. Many of the people stared at them, especially the guards.

Once they reached the double doors, Reptantis pressed the blue button next to the door and they could hear the elevator moving on the other end. When it stopped moving, the doors slid open and an empty space that could hold at least a dozen people was revealed.

"These machines are so strange." the tan skinned human thought aloud as they stepped into the elevator and the doors slid closed once they were inside.

Reptantis just chuckled and pressed the button that would lead them to the second to top floor. Since they were in such a large building, it would take them awhile to get there.

"Reptantis, may I ask you a question." the Skræling spoke up all of a sudden.

"Sure, we have time." the Sleg replied as he turned his head to look at his friend, giving him his full attention.

"You chose to help me when we first met in the forest. Even after I killed your entire squid and tried to kill you, you decided to help me. Why?" Siômo asked, truly wanting to know.

"...There's a few reasons why I chose to help you. In a way, you kinda remind me of me when I was younger, always wanting o protect everyone. I also chose to help because you're trying to protect your brother. That's something I can respect." the Sleg answered after a short pause.

"Do you have a family?" the native couldn't help, but ask.

"I did, many years ago. I had a beautiful mate and two children. I loved them very much, but I couldn't see them as much as I wanted because even back the. i was a soldier. I remember hat on one mission, I was ordered o lead my men to a human village and kill everyone... including the woman and children. I couldn't do it though. I told the women, children, and the surrendering men to leave and never return." Reptantis stopped for a moment and sighed. "The generals that I was taking orders from found out about this, so thy handcuffed me to a pole... and lined my entire family up side by side in front of me. My lover, my children, my parents... everyone... was shot and killed in front of me. T-they killed them all... and I couldn't do a fucking hing about it..." he couldn't finish his sentence and all one could hear from him was his shaky breathing.

Siômo remained silent as he stared a his friend with wide eyes. He couldn't even imagine going through something so tragic like that and he couldn't fathom seeing one's own allies punish them like that.

"I am so sorry..." the Skræling said softly before he quickly recited an Abenaki prayer in his head.

Reptantis just sighed heavily and looked down. He stayed like that for awhile before he looked over at his ally.

"I'm gonna help you save Awehsohs. I refuse to let my people do what they did to my family to your brother." he spoke with a look of determination and purpose.

Siômo nodded in understanding and they both looked ahead as the elevator finally stopped moving. The doors slid open and they could see some sort of waiting room beyond the elevator. The room had white walls and the floor was beige in color. There were also a few people and soldiers in the room. here was also a huge metal door on the other side of the room that was about the same length and width of the room.

The two men stepped out of the elevator and the double doors closed behind them. Many of the people within the room glanced at them, but didn't pay as much attention to them as other people did in the city. That's because they were most likely told that the Skræling and Sleg were going to show up.

The two companions walked over to the counter and a woman wearing a white and gray business-like suit was sitting on the other end. She was writing on a parchment of paler and it took her a moment or two to realize they were in front of her.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked politely as she looked up at them with her blue eyes.

"The Wise Man told us to meet him here so we may speak with the Senate." Siômo informed her with a straight face.

"Oh, they're just inside. Give me a moment to open the door." she told them with a smile before she looked at one of the soldiers and gave him the thumbs up. The soldier simply nodded before he walked over to a yellow button on the wall and pressed it.

The large metal door began to slowly slide upwards after the button was pushed and there was a mechanical humming noise as he door opened. Once the entire door had slid into the wall, the two men almost hesitantly entered the next room.

The two men walked through the very large doorway to find themselves in a spacious, circular room with the walls and floor made out of dark gray metal. There were ramps leading up to higher elevated platforms around the edges of the room and armed human soldiers could be seen standing guard on the platforms.

There was a smaller, but wider ramp leading downwards in front of them and they could see that it led to a circular clearing in the center if the room. Four humans could be seen standing in this open space and one of them was the Wise Man.

The other three humans, two of them were men and one of them was a woman, were wearing orange robes with gold markings all over them. The robes were well decorated and it made the three light skinned humans look very professional.

"Those three people are members of the Senate." Reptantis whispered to his Skræling ally as they walked down the ramp.

The Wise Man noticed their presence and smiled warmly at them. He motioned them over and the Senate turned to look at the two new arrivals. Something about the Wise Man made Siômo and Reptantis feel more relaxed despite his strange nature.

"Welcome my friends. I hope the city has been treating you well." the old man greeted kindly.

"Yes, yes; welcome to the Suspended City. Now, we have much to talk about." one of the male Senate members spoke.

This man wore a white hat that somewhat resembled a flat tricorn hat.

"Please forgive my brother's bluntness. We are at war which has made us very occupied as of late." the robed woman who was also wearing a hood apologized

'They do not look like siblings. Maybe they refer to each other as brothers and sisters because they are leaders.' Siômo thought to himself as he nodded, showing that he accepted the apology.

"The Wise Man has told us that you are the Son of Stone. Is this true?" the second male Senate member questioned politely; he wasn't wearing anything on his bald head.

"That is what I have been told this many times, so I suppose I am." the Skræling replied simply as he moved some of his dark hair away from his eyes.

"This is no time to be a reluctant hero." the hat wearing Senate member mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, before we get started, I think it's only fair to ask you how much you actually know about he war we're fighting in." the bald headed man stated politely.

"Well, my friend, Reptantis, here told me that there is a war between the humans of the Lost Land and the Slegs. We have not made much contact with this war however." Siômo explained to them all with a straight face.

"You're Sleg friend is right, we have been at war with the Slegs for many centuries now." the bald man commented with a light sigh at the end.

"Yes, we've been fighting for a long time now and we've seen more and more spy blimps flying over the city recently. We believe that the Slegs plan to launch an assault on the city soon, very soon." the hat wearing Senate member added professionally.

"Hm, it is prophesied that the Son of Stone will help bring peace. Do you think you and Mr. Reptantis could help us with the imminent assault?" the hooded woman questioned with a hopeful expression.

The duo looked at one another and though over this for a few moments. No words needed to be spoken to one another because they knew what they needed.

"The Slegs have my brother in there possession and he is being held in Lord Dominus' castle. If we help you defend this city, then will you help us rescue my brother?" Siômo offered with a straight face.

"That sounds like a fair offer to me." the Wise Man commented with a smile as the members of the city Senate looked at one another.

The Skræling, Reptantis, and the Wise Man watched as the three robed humans spoke quietly amongst each other. After about half a minute of waiting, the female Senate member spoke up.

"It would be very dangerous to pick a fight right at Lord Dominus' footsteps, but me and my brothers have agreed to help you however we can if you help us defend the city." she informed them with a smile at the end.

Siômo and Reptantis smiled back a d it seemed like all the tension in the room washed away, at least for a little while.

"Now that that's been settled, we and the Wise Man have many more things to discuss. You two are free to leave, but we would like to offer you to stay in this building for the night and to show our trust, you both may explore the building as you please." the bald man informed the two companions.

"Thanks for the generosity." Reptantis replied appreciatively.

"I'll come find you two later. For now, you may leave." the Wise Man told the. Before he turned to face the three Senate members and they began to speak to one another.

Taking the hint, the two companions turned around and proceeded to the exit.

* * *

Within the Sleg castle in the Volcanic Region, Awehsohs was sitting cross legged on his bed and looking through a book from the bookshelf. He couldn't read any of the words, but he took the time to look at the pictures that could be seen in some of the pages.

He was fairly surprised at how well he was being treated by these creatures he would've called monsters about a week ago. He was well fed and given a comfortable place to sleep. It took him awhile to get used to the strange bathroom, but he got the hang of it. He jus didn't like being cooped up in that room all day and the thought of his older brother being in danger worried him.

The feeling of guilt lingered in the young Skræling's head however. The only reason why he and Siômo were wondering away from their tribe in the first place was because he was supposed to receive their father's Viking sword.

'It is all my fault we are trapped in this place.' the boy thought to himself with a sigh as he lowered the book he was looking at.

Awehsohs was brought out of his train of thought when he heard the door slide open. His dark brown eyes looked upward to see Lord Dominus walk into his room.

The tall Sleg had his hands resting behind his back and he seemed relatively calm at the moment. He made his way over to the bed and his reptilian yellow eyes looked down at the child.

"Stand up, Awehsohs. We're going for a walk." he stated flatly with no other explanation.

The young child hesitated, but he thought better than to make his captor mad. He's seen what happened to people who made him angry.

Awehsohs slowly put the book down and stood up. Lord Dominus gently rested his three fingered hand on the boy's shoulder and guided him out the door.

Together, they walked down the halls with red carpets with two hulkish Slegs following them. Awehsohs didn't ask where they were going and he stayed close to the caped Sleg. They may have treated him better than he expected, but he still found the Slegs to be very intimidating, especially the one who still had his three fingered hand on his shoulder.

After a minute or two of walking, they reached a large metal door with a hand scanner next to it. One of the hulkish Slegs firmly pressed it's hand on the scanner and the door soon slid open.

'Why are we going outside?' the young Skræling asked in his head as he looked outside the now open doorway to see mountains in the distance and the reptilian soldiers wandering around.

Awehsohs didn't voice his question however and they walked through the doorway and into the outside world. They were currently on a metal platform hanging off the side of the mountain they were on and a few airships were docked here.

"You've been in that room for a few days." Lord Dominut started as they walked over to the platform's railings. "I figured you'd want some fresh air." he explained.

"Thank you." Awehsohs said gratefully as he inhaled the mountain air.

The air was dry and warm because of the nearby volcanoes, but it was nice to be outdoors again.

"You're welcome." Lord Dominus replied as he finally pulled his hand away from the young human's shoulder.

He and Awehsohs walked around he decent sized platform for awhile with the few hulkish Slegs following at a slight distance. As they walked around, the child looked at all there was to see with great interest.

They wandered around for about ten minutes before the Sleg leader stopped. it took Awehsohs a moment realize that his captor stopped and he ceased walking when he noticed.

"You find the Lost Land strange, don't you?" the black scaled asked with his usual guttural voice.

"...Yes, I have never seen any place like this before." the boy answered with a nod after a few short seconds.

"What do you find so different about the Lost Land? The dinosaurs? The Slegs? The Dinosoids? The aliens?" Lord Dominus questioned, honestly interested.

"Well, everything really. My home does not have any of those things you mentioned and I have never seen buildings made out of such stone before." Awehsohs answered as he looked at the castle that was made out of an unknown metal. "My home is mostly simple forests with wigwams made out of wood." he added.

The caped Sleg thought over this new information with interest. He made a mental note to ask more about the child's home, but he felt like it was time to go back inside.

"We should go in. I have work I need to do, but one of my guards will escort you to your room. I will visit you again later." Lord Dominus stated before he immediately started walking away with two of his guards.

"Come along, child." the remaining hulkish Sleg, the same one who guarded his room, told him as it casually held it's portable minigun.

Awehsohs nodded and began to follow the heavily muscular guard. He glanced one more time at Lord Dominus before they re-entered the castle and the door slid shut behind them.

he followed the guard all the ay back to his room and the hulkish Sleg even opened the door for him via the scanner on the nodded in thanks before he entered his room and the door gently slid shut.

with a light sigh, Awehsohs made his way over to his bed and sat down with his legs crossed. He then picked up the book he was looking at earlier and opened it.


	19. Increase in Hardships

**Kwai Kwai nidobak! I know that this story hasn't been getting that much attention, but the attention it has been receiving is very positive. It makes me happy to know that my stories bring entertainment to people. That's all I really wanted to say. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 19: Increase in Hardships

About three hours have passed since Siômo and Reptantis spoke with the Senate. The two men have been aimlessly wandering around the large building, trying to pass the time and maybe see something interesting.

Many of the rooms they came across were offices. They did come across some kind of meeting room with a world map on the wall earlier, but the guards stationed there asked them to leave after a few minutes of them looking around the room.

So now the two companions were walking around the building again with no set task in mind. They explored room after room; hallway after hallway, just to have something to do.

They eventually entered a room that functioned as an armory for the soldiers within the building. The weapons that could be seen were very alien looking to Siômo and he stared at them with interest. He recognized a few of the weapons, but the rest were completely new to him. Reptantis was simply amused by his friend's childish curiosity and watched him with a small smile.

"Nice collection, huh?" a young woman's voice was heard behind them.

The two companions quickly turned around to see a woman who was probably in her twenties standing behind them. She had shoulder length black hair that was tied back into a ponytail and hazel eyes. Her skin was light, but not exactly pale, and she sported a fairly average body; not too bulky or skinny. She wore dark gray cargo pants, black work boots, a white tank top that exposed her belly, and a blue denim jacket that was unbuttoned.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to intrude." Reptantis apologized as he eyed the woman in a non-threatening way.

"You don't have to apologize; I know who you two are." the young woman replied with a kind smile. "Name's Aria by the way." she introduced with a nod of her head.

"It is good to meet you, Aria." Siômo replied with a smile, happy that at least someone in this building was willing to have a normal conversation.

"Likewise, Mr. Son of Stone. And to you as well, Sleg-man." Aria replied with a warm chuckle as she grabbed a few extra chairs and dragged them over to the two males.

Taking the hint, the two men sat down in the chairs that they were provided while she sat down on a nearby desk, presumably hers. Reptantis couldn't help, but stare at the woman they just met. He couldn't figure out why, but he felt comfortable around her.

"So, what do you do here?" Siômo asked curiously after a short pause.

"Oh, I'm a gunsmith. I help build weapons for the Chasm Army. Speaking if which, I'm authorized to give you two ammunition while you're here in the city." Aria explained with a smile.

"That'll be helpful. We used up almost all of our ammo in the Death Marsh." Reptantis commented with a pleased expression.

"Whoa... you two were in the Death Marsh? Now that's hardcore." Aria commented quickly, obviously impressed by their feat.

"Yes, we have been to many strange places over the past week." the Skræling replied with a nod.

"Damn, that kinda reminds me of when I was a courier for the Chasm Army. I would deliver messages all across the Lost Land and to a bunch of human camps. Of course I gave that up when my dad practically begged me to stop. Always said it was dangerous out there." the young woman commented with a light chuckle at the end.

"You must know your way around then." Siômo commented as he leaned back in his seat and rested an arm on the backrest.

"Yeah, I have. That actually gives me an idea..." Aria started before she quickly stood up and rushed to a table on the other side of the room.

The two men watched with interest as she shuffled through various different objects on the table until she found what she was looking for. She picked up two radios and smiled. They looked like modern radios, but these ones were made out of steel and the antenna was longer when it was at full length.

"I'm not sure where you two are going on your travels, but I can help you two out if you need it by giving you information on the places you go to." Aria told them as she handed them each a radio.

"You didn't have to do that, but thanks." Reptantis commented with a smile as he and his companion accepted the metal radios.

"I'll do whatever I can do to help you guys out. Better than listening to the stuck up Senate run their mouths at me." Aria replied with a big smile, causing her guests to chuckle.

"Well, it has been nice talking with you, Aria, but it would probably be best for us to go and find our rooms now." Siômo commented before he and his Sleg friend stood up.

"Okay, that's fine. Just come back and see me again. It gets a little boring here at times." the young woman replied as she smiled warmly.

"Will do, my friend." Reptantis commented before they walked over to the door and it slid open for them.

The two men walked out of the room after that exchange and they started their search for the Wise Man, who would most likely lead them to their temporary rooms

* * *

Two days have passed since Siômo and Reptantis first spoke with the Senate and met Aria. They were both enjoying this time away from all the fighting and killing, but they were still prepared for a fight just in case anything bad happened.

The Skræling spent a majority of his time speaking with the Wise Man because he wanted to learn more about the Lost Land. Reptantis mostly talked with Aria and they quickly became close friends. Besides Siômo and the Wise Man, she was probably the only one who didn't judge him because he was a Sleg.

Right now, the two companions and Aria were standing on a balcony just outside of the room Siômo and Reptantis were staying at, which was surprisingly close to the armory. They were looking at the futuristic city around them and smiled as they looked at all the sites.

"I love cities." Reptantis commented with his usual guttural voice and their female friend nodded in agreement.

"I still prefer being in the forest, but this place is amazing." Siômo replied as he looked up a the sky in an attempt to look at the top of the skyscrapers.

His eyes widened however when he saw a large, dark brown blimp with what looked like machine guns on the sides of the cabin. He immediately recognized it as a Sleg vehicle. He then spotted another, then four more after that.

His two friends noticed his shocked expression and looked up to see many more of these blimps and Sleg airships flying through the air.

"Oh gods..." Aria murmured as they stared at the Sleg army flying over the city.

Almost immediately after she said that, the Sleg warships opened fire and various explosions could be seen in the distance. The sound of an air horn siren was heard throughout the city and the civilians screamed as they rushed indoors for safety.

"We need to get inside!" Siômo shouted when he noticed one of the blimps aiming it's guns in their general direction.

The group of three ran back inside without a second thought and a few explosions outside shook the room they were in. Reptantis held onto Aria to protect her while the Skræling held onto a nearby desk for support.

Once the room stopped trembling, the group of three looked at one another and the Sleg hesitantly released the woman in his grasp. They could hear the sound of war outside and they knew something had to be done about this.

"Aria, could we use some of that ammunition you told us about!" Siômo shouted over the gunfire and explosions outside.

The young woman nodded before she led them to the armory. once they were there, she ran over to a large crate and pried the lid off, revealing thousands of ammo magazines and bullets.

"Take as much as you can carry!" she told them with a hectic sounding voice.

The two men rushed over and grabbed the ammunition they required for their guns. Once they had as much as their ammo pouches allowed, Aria closed the crate and grabbed a shotgun that was similar to the one Reptantis uses.

"Stay here and keep your head down. We'll keep in radio contact." the Sleg told her as he pulled out his flechette gun and loaded it.

"Okay, I'm gonna lock the door once you two leave. Just be careful out there; both of you." she replied with a nod.

The two companions made there way over to the door after she said that and it slid open once they were close enough. They quickly exited the armory, but Reptantis looked at Aria one last time before the door slid closed.

"This will not be fun." Siômo commented grimly as he set his plasma cannon to it's secondary fire.

"Oh yeah. I know." the Sleg replied before they began to rush towards the closest elevator.

As they made their way over to the elevator, they noticed a few human soldiers running in various different directions, most likely to get good shots against the invading army. The two companions ignored the soldiers as best they could and Siômo pressed the button on the side of the double doors to call the elevator.

They had to wait a few tense seconds for the elevator to arrive and they could easily hear the battle raging outside. The double doors finally slid open and they rushed in. Siômo pressed the button on the pad that would take them to the ground floor.

"We need to see how the ground troops are handling the situation and help them if necessary. Once that is taken care of, we will make our way back up this building and make sure that the Senate is safe." the Skræling informed his reptilian friend, who nodded in understanding.

They watched as the floor counter on the top left side of the elevator dropped as they went lower and lower. Finally, the counter stopped at one and the double doors slid open.

Reptantis cautiously raised his flechette gun and looked around the main hall. He calmed down when he saw that there were only human soldiers in the large room and they were focused on the front door.

The Sleg glanced at Siômo before they walked out of the elevator and approached one of the soldiers. The soldier looked away from the exit to face the two men.

"You guys are here to help, right?" the soldier asked a little quickly.

"Yeah. What's the situation outside?" Reptantis questioned professionally, already used to being in war, unlike his companion.

"Our guys are facing heavy fighting throughout the city. We need to make sure none of those enemy Slegs try to get to the Senate. Could you and the Son of Stone go outside and help out our brothers and sisters?" the soldier explained and requested towards the end.

"Sure. We'll see what we can do." Reptantis promised with a nod.

The soldier nodded before he looked ahead at the exit again. Siômo inhaled deeply with his mouth and exhaled through his nose before he led his companion towards the exit. All the soldiers watched them closely and one of them pressed a button on a nearby terminal.

The capital building's double doors slid open after a few seconds and the two men quickly made their way out of the now open doorframe. Once they were outside, the doors slid shut behind them.

They kept their weapons at the ready and looked around to see a small group of human soldiers not too far away. The soldiers were hiding behind the corner of a building as gunfire whizzed past them. The two companions rushed over to these humans, who immediately noticed their presence.

"You must be the Son of Stone and that Sleg we've heard so much about!" one of the humans shouted over the gunfire as he wiped some dirt off of his helmet's visor.

"Yes! What can we do to help?!" Siômo questioned loudly.

"Our guys need to stay here and hold the line! I sent one if my guys towards that alley behind you to try to flank 'em, but he hasn't reported in yet! Could you too see if he's okay and stop these bastards from shooting a us!" the soldier explained to them, sounding more desperate than he intended.

"You can count on us!" Reptantis assured with a stern nod.

The human soldier nodded back before he started barking orders at the others. While he did that, the two men looked towards the alleyway and cautiously walked over to it. They stayed close to the wall and once they reached the alley, Reptantis peeked his head into the open; his reptilian yellow eyes darting around as he did so.

"Clear." he informed Siômo before he walked into the open with his flechette gun raised.

The Skræling also kept his plasma cannon at the ready and he made his way into the alley too. They slowly walked into the dark alley and they cautiously looked around, just waiting for something to jump out and attack them.

As if on cue, the alleyway erupted in a barrage of gunfire. Reptanis instinctively grabbed Siômo's shoulder and pulled the native behind cover with him. They kept their heads down as they hid behind a large trash bin.

"Hey Siômo! Do you still have those spider mines?!" Reptantis questioned loudly over the gunfire.

To answer his question, the bearded native reached into one of his deerskin pouches and pulled out what looked like a thin box made out of gray metal. The Sleg smirked despite the gunfire as Siômo placed the box on the ground and it began to reassemble to form a mechanical spider with four legs. He then pulled a controller out of the same pouch and held it in both hands.

The camera on the spider mine started working and an image of it's point of view could be seen on the controller. The two men watched as Siômo controlled the mine to move behind the trash bin.

The spider mine quietly moved through the small crevice and it made it's way towards the enemy Slegs without being noticed. The Slegs continued to fire down the alley and one of them was preparing to throw a grenade. It didn't take long for the spider mine to reach the enemy group and Siômo activated the trigger on the controller.

All of a sudden, the little robot exploded and many of the enemy Slegs screamed right before they died from the blast. Limbs fell off and the lucky ones were knocked into the wall. Once the smoke cleared, only a small amount of Slegs were left alive, but they were all on the ground and injured.

Reptantis quickly hopped out of cover with his flechette gun and shot the still living enemies, putting them out of their misery. Because the barrel that shot the flechettes had a built in suppressor, every shot was almost soundless.

As he did this, the Skræling stuffed the spider mine controller back into his leather pouch and took out his plasma cannon again. He got out of cover as well to see that all the enemy Slegs were now dead on the blood stained ground.

Reptantis took a moment to load more flechettes into his gun before they both cautiously walked down the alleyway. They noticed the corpse of a human soldier that was riddled with bullet holes near some trash bags to the right.

They ignored the body to focus on their task at hand and kept going. They stepped over all the bodies and attempted to avoid the blood puddles on the ground.

When they reached the end of the alley, they perked around the corner to see a squad of Dinosoids were pinning down the human soldiers from before. Most of the cyborgs were armed with laser rifles, but a few of them also had mini guns.

"Siômo, see if you can take some down with that plasma cannon of yours. I'm gonna see if I can find a fire escape to get a better view of these guys.

The bearded native nodded before his Sleg alley walked off. He peeked out of cover again to look at the cyborg soldiers. He couldn't believe that those used to be dinosaurs.

With a light sigh to calm his nerves, Siômo hopped out of cover, took aim, and squeezed the trigger. The plasma cannon's secondary fire kicked in and bright blue plasma bolts started shooting out in quick succession. The bolts steered towards the nearest organics and began to hit some of the Dinosoids, who cried out as they were horribly burned from the plasma.

Siômo took cover when the cyborgs started shooting in his general direction. On the fire escape above them however, Reptantis was looking down at all the Dinosoids through his flechette gun's iron sights.

The Sleg flicked a switch near the gun's trigger and the white plates on the thick center barrel slid back to reveal three separate mini gun barrels. The triple barrels commenced to spin as Reptantis held down the trigger.

The barrels started to open fire at an extremely fast rate and the large amount of high caliber bullets tore through the unsuspecting Dinosoids. The bullets caused many libs to be torn off the enemies and others simply fell to the ground with various bullet holes riddled through their bodies. A few tried to shoot at Reptantis, but those ones were put down by Siômo's plasma bolts.

After about a minute or two, all the gunfire in the immediate area ceased and all the Dinosoids were lying dead on the street. As Siômo and Reptantis reloaded their weapons, the human squad rushed forward to the street that the Dinosoids once had control over.

"Well hot damn! You two can do some damage." the soldier from before commented with an impressed tone of voice.

Siômo chuckled from this and he glanced atthe alleyway to see Reptantis jump off of the lowest part of the fire escape. The Sleg then made his way over to the group of humans.

"You two are a strange combination, but you're affective." the soldier commented as the others ser up a parameter and made sure that no enemies could sneak up on them.

"Did you manage to find our guy?" the soldier asked curiously.

Yes, but he did not make it." the native replied with a frown, feeling bad that they didn't reach him in time.

"Shit, well, that wasn't your fault. We have a job to do, and that's to protect the Senate and the people of The Suspended City." the soldier replied as he rested his rifle on his shoulder.

"Hey! There's something coming towards us!" one of the soldiers shouted all of a sudden as he pointed down the large street ahead of them.

Everyone looked down the street to see two hulkish Slegs wearing black armor and carrying miniguns. That wasn't what worried them however. The thing that worried them was the Ankylosaurus that was following close behind the Slegs.

This massive dinosaur had leathery scales that were tan colored on it's underside while the ridged armor plating on the rest of it's body was dark brown. There were two square shaped spikes on both sides of it's tail near the vicous looking club at the end of it's tail. What worried everyone however was the large metal rocket launchers that had been strapped to it's armored back.

"Take cover!" one of the human soldiers screamed before the Ankylosaurus fired a rocket in their general direction.

Luckily, the rocket missed them and hit the side of a nearby building. The rocket exploded upon impact and left a large hole on he side of the building.

The humans and their Sleg ally quickly rushed behind cover wherever they could find it. Siômo and Reptantis were behind some debris from the recent explosion.

"Siômo! Me and those soldiers will take care of those gunners! You find a way to stop that tank!" the muscular Sleg shouted before he peeked put of cover and opened fire with the flechette gun.

The Skræling rubbed his bearded chin in thought for a moment before he got an idea. He quickly slung his plasma can on over his shoulder and took out his wooden bow that his tribe's chief gave to him. As he held it with his left hand, he reached over his back with his right hand and pulled an explosive arrow from his leather quiver.

Another rocket from the Ankylosaurus flew over them and hit another building as everyone else opened fire on the two hulkish Slegs. One of the human soldiers managed to score a headshot with his laser rifle and the large Sleg fell to the ground with it's head missing.

Siômo waited a few more seconds before he jumped out of cover with the string of his bow pulled back. The Ankylosaurus stared directly a him with it's black eyes and it was lining up a shot to fire it's rocket launcher again.

Before the dinosaur had a chance to fire however, the Abenaki native released the bow string and the arrow whistled through the air. The arrow hit the Ankylosaurus' underbelly before the arrowhead detonated in a decent sized explosion. The armored animal cried out in agony as it's only unprotected region was torn apart from the explosion and it's stomach literally blew apart. It wobbled on it's four legs for a second or two before it fell to the ground with a mighty thud.

The final hulkish Sleg realized that it was alone now and turned around to flee. Before it could get far however, Reptantis shot it multiple times in the leg and the razor sharp flechettes caused it's leg to simply tear off.

The large Sleg cried out in pain as it fell to the ground, but it was silenced by a normal arrow piercing through it's skull.

"That was my kill, Siômo." Reptantis commented as he and everyone else slowly got out of cover and looked at around.

"You were too slow." the native commented as he panted slightly.

He two men looked toward the human soldiers and frowned when they noticed that two of them had been killed during the fighting. They wanted to move the bodies now, but it was too dangerous to do that while they were most likely surrounded by enemies. Siômo and Reptantis knew that this was just the beginning.


End file.
